NASA will send organs on chips in space

NASA plans to send small devices containing human cells in a 3D matrix – called tissue chips or organs on chips – to the International Space Station (ISS) to test their response to stress, drugs and genetic modifications.

Made of soft plastic, the fabric chips have ports and channels to provide nutrients and oxygen to the cells they contain.

The "Tissue Chips in Space" initiative aims to better understand the role of microgravity on human health, NASA said. "We expect tissue fragments in space to behave much like an astronaut's body and undergo the same kind of rapid change," said NASA scientist Liz Warren.