Saudi Arabia, represented by the Saudi Space Agency (SSA) and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), has launched the first biological samples of their kind from the Middle East to space as part of the BioGravity-1 mission aboard SpaceX CRS-35 to the International Space Station, with support from NASA. The launch is part of a long-term research program supporting scientific efforts against Alzheimer's disease and multiple sclerosis through three consecutive missions.
The milestone strengthens the Kingdom's role in microgravity research and expands the use of space science and technology in health and life sciences research, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Wednesday.
The mission marks the program's first phase. It sends reference human samples from healthy donors to space to establish a scientific baseline for later phases, and uses the unique properties of microgravity to study cellular changes associated with aging and neurodegenerative diseases. The biological experiments developed by KAUST include two experiments, SSA-1 and SSA-2.
The program is carried out through an international scientific partnership with the US-based National Stem Cell Foundation (NSCF) and Axiom Space, with support from NASA, alongside national scientific participation from the Saudi Space Agency and KAUST, connecting national capabilities with the global research community.
General Supervisor of Microgravity Research at the Saudi Space Agency and Saudi Astronaut Rayyanah Barnawi said: “The launch of these samples is an important scientific step toward harnessing the space environment to serve human health, and reflects the growth and readiness of national capabilities to take part in advanced research.”
“Through the BioGravity program, we aim to turn knowledge gained in orbit into research opportunities that deepen our understanding of diseases and support the development of future therapies,” Barnawi added.
Professor of Bioscience at KAUST Professor Imed Gallouzi, who is also the lead scientist of the project, said the mission enables researchers to test disease models in an environment that cannot be replicated on Earth, and strengthens the university's contribution to discoveries that benefit patients in the Kingdom and around the world.
Scientific Advisor to the National Stem Cell Foundation and Global Head of Biomanufacturing and Biotechnology at Axiom Space Dr. Pinar Mesci said: “I am especially excited about this mission, as the NSCF team will test the 'Brain Organoid Village' concept in microgravity for the first time. Combining multiple individual cell lines within a single organoid enables population-level studies and makes it possible to run what could be described as clinical trials in a dish.
The mission included samples from Saudi Arabia through a collaboration with the Saudi Space Agency and KAUST.
The program spans three interconnected research missions: the first studies healthy reference samples, the second will study models derived from patients with Alzheimer's disease and multiple sclerosis, and the third will focus on therapeutic responses and explore potential drug targets in microgravity.
The BioGravity program is part of the SSA's efforts to build national capabilities in microgravity research and life sciences, expand international scientific partnerships, and harness space science and technology to serve human health, contributing to a knowledge-based economy, innovation and quality of life in line with Saudi Vision 2030.
