Heart Tissues Beat on the International Space Station

The Cardinal Heart experiment used three-dimensional engineered heart tissues, seen in this clip, to study the effects of microgravity on the human heart. The investigation, which took place on station in 2021, confirmed that microgravity exposure causes significant changes in heart cell function and gene expression that could lead to damage. Scheduled to launch on NASA's SpaceX CRS-27 resupply mission in March, Cardinal Heart 2.0 takes this research one step further to test whether certain drugs can reduce or prevent microgravity-induced changes—which could also enable the development of countermeasures for patients at high risk of developing heart disease back on Earth. Learn more about how research aboard the International Space Station is helping our hearts beat strong