Stem Cells in Space: Dr. Abba Zubair's Research Story

For Dr. Abba Zubair, the future of medicine may lie in space.
As a boy in Nigeria, Zubair dreamed of being an astronaut. Instead, he became a stem cell biologist at Mayo Clinic. But his love of space influenced his work - specifically in how stem cells grow differently in simulated microgravity.
Dr. Zubair says, "We know stem cells grow differently using simulated microgravity. We want to see if microgravity can actually help stem cells to expand faster, so that we can grow more of them to bring back to use for human application.”
After more than three years of planning and preparation, with technical assistance provided by the Center for Applied Space Technology, Dr. Zubair’s research went into orbit. Human adult stem cells were part of the payload on board the SpaceX CRS-10 rocket that launched in late February 2017 to the International Space Station.
Though much work still needs to be done, the hope is that space holds the key to advancing treatments for such debilitating conditions such as hemorrhagic stroke and cancer.