Immune cell activation

The IMMUNE CELL ACTIVATION (ICA) experiment, funded by the European Space Agency (ESA) as part of a program supporting the commercialization of innovative products, was launched to the International Space Station (ISS) on January 30 at 12:07 p.m. EST (17:07 GMT) from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral.

The experiment was managed through the Bioreactor Express commercial service by Kayser Italia, which enables direct access to the ISS for space research activities. ICA was launched aboard the Falcon 9 rocket by SpaceX, inside the Cygnus NG-20 spacecraft developed by Northrop Grumman.

The ICA project was carried out by an entirely Italian consortium composed of the Cericol division of Colorobbia Consulting (based in Vinci), the University of Florence, and Kayser Italia.

The scientific protocol behind the project aims to understand the effects of the space environment—particularly microgravity—on the activation processes of immune system cells (T and B cells) by specific nanoparticles. These nanoparticles have the ability to enhance the capacity of lymphocytes to fight tumor cells. Specifically, the ICA experiment investigates the effects of nanoparticles on melanoma tumor cells. Results from this experiment conducted in space may help define new treatment protocols for the disease.

Kayser Italia is responsible for the operational activities and testing carried out on the 16 experimental units sent aboard the ISS, each containing the biological sample. Each unit was designed as a small automatic “bioreactor”: once inserted into the onboard incubator called KUBIK, which provides electrical power, the unit autonomously performs the sequence of steps required to execute the scientific protocol at the scheduled time.

At the end of the incubation period at 37°C, the 16 units will be retrieved by the ISS crew and transferred to storage at –80°C until their return to Earth, scheduled for April 2024 aboard the SpaceX CRS-30 mission.

The arrival of the 16 ICA units aboard the ISS and the subsequent installation of the experiment in the KUBIK onboard incubator was scheduled for February 2, 2024 at 16:25 GMT.

Kayser Italia team at KSC during the integration of the Immune Cell Activation experimental units.