'These drugs specifically target mitochondrial dysfunction and upstream mechanisms that lead to this dysfunction,' Mair told Live Science in an email. In an experiment launched on this trip to the ISS, the team will continue to study mitochondrial dysfunction, as well as test several existing drugs to see if they prevent or reverse the problems, Mair said. Mitochondria provide power to cells and thus fuel the pumping of the heart, and their dysfunction has been tied to a variety of heart problems, including irregular heartbeat and heart failure.
Mair and his colleagues previously sent heart tissue to space in March 2020, and in that experiment, they observed signs that cells' mitochondria were malfunctioning, he said at the NASA news conference. What are 'minibrains'? Everything to know about brain organoids Scientists grew human tear ducts in a lab and taught them to cry Lab-grown miniplacentas resemble the real thing so much, they fooled a pregnancy test
