The Educational Experiment Xenogriss: Growth and Regeneration of Xenopus laevis Tadpoles on the ISS

The Italian Space Agency, within the frame of the mission “Beyond” has promoted the "YiSS—Youth ISS Science" competi-tion, to involve secondary school students in the process of conception and execution of a space experiment. The XENOG-RISS experiment was selected by the Italian Space Agency to fly onboard the ISS. The project foresees an active involve-ment of students into a multi-disciplinary activity aimed at studying the effect of microgravity on growth and regeneration processes, using an animal model (Xenopus laevis) that allows both processes to be observed simultaneously. The project involves the preparation of a Xenopus laevis tadpole culture within a Xenopus Experiment Unit (XEU). The XEU has been integrated into a powered metallic sealed container called Biokon. The activation on the ISS ensured the feeding of the tadpoles, the recirculation of water and the acquisition of images. The control electronics, including the acquisition system, was designed and realized by the students under teacher supervision in collaboration with engineers from Kayser Italia. The integration process of the experiment onboard the ISS was provided by the UTISS Team (Argotec/Telespazio) that supported safety evaluation, requirements verification, payload manifesting, delivery, operations and recovery. The facility has been launched with Space-X CRS-19 and recovered after 30 days. The information derived from this experiment will help to understand the mechanisms underlying the effect of microgravity upon the processes of growth, repair and regeneration of tissues. A better knowledge of these processes is important in defining protocols for the management of traumatic injuries, wounds and chronic ulcers both in Space and on Earth.