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Multiuser Experiment Facilities for the Japanese Experiment Module “Kibo”.  Muneo Takaoki, Space Environment Utilization Center, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

   The capability of space biology research facilities to be operated in the Japanese Experiment Module “Kibo” of the ISS was assessed. The Kibo module will be assembled utilizing three flights of the Space Shuttle, STS-123, 124 and 127. The biology research facilities of Kibo are expected to be brought into operation in the middle of 2008. The center for biological research inside the Kibo module is the Saibo Rack which accommodates the Cell Biology Experiment Facility (CBEF) and the Clean Bench (CB). The CBEF is an incubator with two compartments, one for the microgravity and the other for the artificial gravity conditions. Each experiment will be run in the experiment unit  inside the incubator. The experiment units can be made-to-order to meet various requirements including the use of small multicellular organisms. The CB is a glove box with a small aseptic workspace and equipped with a phase-contrast fluorescence microscope. The European made Minus Eighty degree Celsius Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI) is inside Kibo for the cryopreservation of samples. Monitoring radiation environment of individual experiment is possible with the Passive Dosimeter Lifescience Experiments in Space (PADLES). Combinations of these equipment together with other supportive instruments can be recognized to cover a fair part of experimental requirements. There is, however, a major defect, the lack of rodents. To help overcome the drawback, we have focused attention to a small fish, Medaka (Oryzias latipes). Although there are clear differences such as calcium metabolism and renal functions, the small fish has may advantages over rodents for space experiments. They need less space. Their body is translucent and pathological observations are possible without dissection. Since the gene knockout technique has recently been established (1), the importance of Medaka is increasingly recognized in laboratories on the ground too. The experiment facilities to keep small fish on Kibo should be studied seriously.

(1) Taniguchi, Y. et al., Genome Biology 2006, 7(12):R116