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Mayo Clinic — ATOM Biological Sampling

Investigated: Session 8 (2026-04-06) | Updated: Session 69 (2026-04-07)

Type: Academic Medical Center
FO Project: 106717 — Autonomous Sampling Technology for Biological Research During Suborbital Rocket Flight
Period: 2019-11-01 – 2024-04-30
TRL: 4 → 6
PI: Marion Turnbull (Mayo Clinic — Jacksonville); Co-I: John Sparkman, Abba C. Zubair, Albert Manero, Christine Mehner
Outcome Category: Research/Clinical — enabling device for stem cell space biology program
Downstream $: Not measurable directly (Mayo is recipient, not contractor)

What Was Tested

ATOM (Autonomous Technology for Research in Suborbital Microgravity) is a battery-powered, autonomous biological sampling device about the size of a 2-liter soda bottle. It automatically: - Collects biological samples second-by-second during suborbital flight - Deposits samples into wells containing preservatives - Rotates to present the next well for subsequent samples - Records acceleration, temperature, and pressure sensor data for correlation with biological changes

Purpose: Enable time-resolved sampling of biological materials (cells, fluids, tissues) throughout the launch, microgravity, and landing phases of suborbital flight — not just endpoint snapshots.

TX: TX06.4.1 — Air, Water, Microbial, and Acoustic Sensors (taxonomy mismatch — this is a sample collection/storage device, not a sensor per se)

Key Co-Investigator: Abba C. Zubair

The most significant figure in this project is Abba C. Zubair, M.D., Ph.D. (Mayo Clinic Jacksonville), co-investigator on ATOM and NASA's most active stem cell space researcher:

  • NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal — awarded for demonstrating human mesenchymal stem cells grown on ISS could be used for clinical applications
  • Multiple ISS stem cell experiments — Zubair's lab has sent stem cells to ISS in 2017, 2020, 2022, and 2024; results published in peer-reviewed journals
  • Key finding: Mesenchymal stem cells grown in microgravity show enhanced immune-controlling ability; hematopoietic stem cells grow much faster in space; microgravity strengthens regenerative potential
  • Clinical goal: Mass-produce therapeutic stem cells in space for stroke, bone marrow failure, osteoporosis treatment
  • 2024 ISS experiment: Bone-forming stem cells sent to ISS to study microgravity effects on bone loss; results showed unique qualities potentially accelerating biotherapy development

ATOM's role in Zubair's program: ATOM provides suborbital sampling capability that complements ISS experiments. While ISS gives sustained microgravity for growth experiments, suborbital flights provide time-resolved samples through the acute microgravity transition — capturing the rapid cellular response to weightlessness onset and cessation.

Research Outputs

  • Long development period (2019–2024, 5 years): A 5-year FO project is unusually long, suggesting either multiple flight tests or significant device iteration
  • TRL4→6: Substantial advancement — from component level to system-level demonstration
  • Multi-investigator team: 5 investigators including an MD (Turnbull), stem cell expert (Zubair), materials specialist (Manero), endocrinologist (Mehner) — suggests real scientific ambition, not just device development

Albert Manero (co-I) is founder of Limbitless Solutions (3D-printed prosthetic arms for children) — his involvement suggests ATOM may have applications for assistive device materials testing as well.

ISS Connection

Zubair's stem cell ISS program appears to be the primary downstream impact: - ATOM (FO) provides suborbital sampling tool for rapid cellular response studies - ISS experiments (separate NASA BPS Division funding) provide sustained microgravity growth studies - Together they form a complete biological characterization pipeline for cell therapy in space

Whether ATOM specifically flew on New Shepard (Blue Origin, the primary suborbital research platform for FO-funded biology experiments) was not confirmed in web search results. The project completed April 2024 — search coverage for 2024 biological results is limited.

Clinical Implications

Zubair's research program has clear terrestrial clinical implications: - Bone loss / osteoporosis — space-induced bone loss as accelerated model for terrestrial disease - Stroke treatment — enhanced mesenchymal stem cell production in microgravity for faster clinical-scale manufacturing - Immune modulation — space-conditioned cells may have enhanced therapeutic properties

The ATOM device enables the time-resolved sampling necessary to characterize when these cellular changes happen — useful for optimizing therapeutic protocols.

Outcome Assessment

Mayo Clinic is not a company — there's no commercial product to track and no USASpending contracts to find. The ATOM project's value is: 1. A device that enables time-resolved biological sampling on suborbital flights — likely to be used by Zubair's group for ongoing stem cell research 2. A technical contribution to the biomedical space biology field (the device design, if published, helps other researchers) 3. An enabling tool in what appears to be a productive NASA-funded stem cell research program

Archetype: Medical research center creates enabling tool for ongoing space biology program — value is scientific productivity, not commercial product.

Surprise Check

Expected: Clinical/research archetype; publications likely.
Found: The ATOM project team composition is more interesting than expected. Zubair's ISS stem cell program is a substantial NASA investment with real clinical goals. ATOM is not a stand-alone research project but an enabling device for a broader space biology research program. The stem cell-to-therapy connection is concrete (Zubair's NASA medal was specifically for clinical applicability).

What's still unknown: Whether ATOM flew on New Shepard and what specific biological results were obtained from ATOM-enabled sampling. Zubair's 2024 ISS bone loss experiment may have used ATOM samples from prior suborbital flights as reference data.

Session 69 Update: New ISS Mission, npj Microgravity Paper, Bone Loss Findings

SpaceX CRS-33 Mission (August 2025)

Zubair's team sent a new ISS experiment on SpaceX CRS-33 (targeted launch Aug 24, 2025) — bone-forming stem cell research. This mission investigated whether a new compound can block IL-6 protein signals to reduce bone loss in microgravity. IL-6 was identified by Zubair's team as a key signaling protein that can direct stem cells toward either bone formation or bone loss. The research aims to develop treatments for osteoporosis using microgravity as an accelerated model for age-related bone loss.

This confirms Zubair's ISS program is actively producing new missions — the FO ATOM project (completed April 2024) sits within a growing pipeline of ISS stem cell experiments, not as a one-off.

Key Publication: npj Microgravity (2024)

"Discoveries from human stem cell research in space that are relevant to advancing cellular therapies on Earth" — npj Microgravity (2024). This is a review/synthesis paper documenting the full arc of Zubair's space stem cell research. Published in Nature's microgravity journal.

Bone Loss Findings (July 2025)

Media coverage (July 2025): "ISS researcher links bone loss in astronauts to stem cell changes in microgravity" — this appears to be results from one of Zubair's recent ISS experiments, though whether ATOM-derived data contributed is unconfirmed.

Updated ISS Mission Count

Zubair's documented ISS missions: 2017, 2020, 2022, 2024, and 2025 (CRS-33). Five ISS missions over 8 years makes this one of the most sustained stem cell research programs on the ISS.

ATOM Flight Status — Confirmed on New Shepard

ATOM flew on Blue Origin New Shepard — confirmed by NASA's "Expanding Test Options that Expose Technologies to Suborbital Space" page and SpaceNews reporting on Blue Origin flying NASA-funded scientists. TechPort reflects TRL 6 reached by project completion (April 2024). No published scientific results from the ATOM suborbital samples yet — likely still in analysis or pending publication.

Cell Stem Cell Review (July 2025)

Zubair published "Stem cell research in space: advancing regenerative medicine beyond Earth" in Cell Stem Cell (July 2025) — a high-impact journal review signaling the field has moved past proof-of-concept into mechanism and drug-target territory. This positions the space stem cell manufacturing concept as scientifically mainstream.

Confidence

  • ATOM is an autonomous biological sampling device for suborbital flights: confirmed (TechPort description)
  • Abba Zubair (co-I) has active ISS stem cell program: confirmed (5 ISS missions documented, 2017–2025)
  • Zubair has received NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal: confirmed (ISS National Lab)
  • CRS-33 bone loss experiment launched Aug 2025: confirmed (Mayo Clinic News Network)
  • npj Microgravity review paper published 2024: confirmed (Nature)
  • ATOM flew on New Shepard: confirmed (NASA "Expanding Test Options" page, SpaceNews)
  • Cell Stem Cell review published July 2025: confirmed
  • ATOM enabled Zubair's ISS research: suggestive (ATOM provides suborbital sampling complement to ISS growth experiments)
  • henry-ford-health.md — another FO health project; successful clinical impact without commercial product; pattern confirmed
  • mgh-ninscan.md — MGH NINscan: clinical adoption without commercial product; same archetype
  • orbital-medicine.md — failed health/medical case for comparison
  • imec-usa-neuropixels.md — IMEC Neuropixels: neuroscience in space, Nature publication, similar research archetype