Ambient Temperature Preservation Supports Recovery of Beating Capacity in Human Cardiac Organoids After Exposure to Simulated Space Stressors
6 affiliations
- 1Nuclear Medical Applications, Radiobiology Unit, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN), 2400 Mol, Belgium
- 2Department of Biosystems, Mechatronics, Biostatistics and Sensors (MeBioS), Biomimetics Group, KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
- 3Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering and Computing, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
- 4Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1090 Jette, Belgium
- 5Department of Physics and Astrophysics, Faculty of Sciences, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
- 6Department of Chronic Diseases and Metabolism, Laboratory of Respiratory Diseases and Thoracic Surgery (BREATHE), KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
Abstract
Human space exploration exposes astronauts to environmental stressors including microgravity (µg) and ionizing radiation, which may adversely affect cardiovascular health. Human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived cardiac organoids, also referred to as cardioids, provide a physiologically relevant model to investigate these effects, but preservation of complex 3D tissues remains challenging. Current methods rely mainly on cryopreservation, creating variability and logistical constraints, particularly for spaceflight research. Alternative preservation strategies suitable for both ground-based and space experiments are therefore needed. In this study, human cardiac organoids were exposed to simulated µg (sµg) using a random positioning machine (RPM) and to a mixed neutron–photon field generated by a Californium-252 (252Cf) source. To assess preservation potential, organoids preserved at ambient temperature in CellShip® transport medium were compared with unpreserved controls. Viability, proliferative activity and functional performance, including spontaneous beating, were assessed. Simulated µg induced limited detectable effects, whereas chronic irradiation (dose equivalent rate, 1.31–1.33 mSv/h over 70.5–74.7 h) impaired several organoid viability and functional readouts. Ambient-temperature-preserved organoids showed greater recovery of measurable beating after irradiation than unpreserved organoids. These proof-of-concept findings support further evaluation of CellShip®-based ambient preservation as a non-cryogenic alternative for cardiac organoids in terrestrial and spaceflight research.
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BibTeX
@article{rompay2026ambient,
title = {{Ambient Temperature Preservation Supports Recovery of Beating Capacity in Human Cardiac Organoids After Exposure to Simulated Space Stressors}},
author = {Cynthia Van Rompay and Kevin Tabury and Emre Etlioglu and Ben Cools and Randy Vermeesen and Emil Rehnberg and Sarah Baatout and Marianne S. Carlon and Xavier Casadevall i Solvas and Bjorn Baselet},
journal = {International journal of molecular sciences},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.3390/ijms27198796},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13665183},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Ambient Temperature Preservation Supports Recovery of Beating Capacity in Human Cardiac Organoids After Exposure to Simulated Space Stressors
AU - Cynthia Van Rompay
AU - Kevin Tabury
AU - Emre Etlioglu
AU - Ben Cools
AU - Randy Vermeesen
AU - Emil Rehnberg
AU - Sarah Baatout
AU - Marianne S. Carlon
AU - Xavier Casadevall i Solvas
AU - Bjorn Baselet
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/30
JO - International journal of molecular sciences
DO - 10.3390/ijms27198796
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13665183
AB - Human space exploration exposes astronauts to environmental stressors including microgravity (µg) and ionizing radiation, which may adversely affect cardiovascular health. Human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived cardiac organoids, also referred to as cardioids, provide a physiologically relevant model to investigate these effects, but preservation of complex 3D tissues remains challenging. Current methods rely mainly on cryopreservation, creating variability and logistical constraints, particularly for spaceflight research. Alternative preservation strategies suitable for both ground-based and space experiments are therefore needed. In this study, human cardiac organoids were exposed to simulated µg (sµg) using a random positioning machine (RPM) and to a mixed neutron–photon field generated by a Californium-252 (252Cf) source. To assess preservation potential, organoids preserved at ambient temperature in CellShip® transport medium were compared with unpreserved controls. Viability, proliferative activity and functional performance, including spontaneous beating, were assessed. Simulated µg induced limited detectable effects, whereas chronic irradiation (dose equivalent rate, 1.31–1.33 mSv/h over 70.5–74.7 h) impaired several organoid viability and functional readouts. Ambient-temperature-preserved organoids showed greater recovery of measurable beating after irradiation than unpreserved organoids. These proof-of-concept findings support further evaluation of CellShip®-based ambient preservation as a non-cryogenic alternative for cardiac organoids in terrestrial and spaceflight research.
SN - 1422-0067
ER -