For the Second Time, Sheba Sends a Groundbreaking Medical Experiment to Space
To explore how microgravity affects the genetic behavior of disease-causing bacteria, Sheba’s ARC Innovation Center and the Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory have once again joined forces to launch a scientific experiment to the International Space Station (ISS).
“To understand the limits of medicine, we sometimes need to go beyond the limits of Earth,” said Prof. Eyal Zimlichman, Chief Transformation, Innovation, and AI Officer, as well as the Director of ARC at Sheba Medical Center.
Guided by this mindset, Sheba’s ARC Innovation Center established a unique laboratory—ARC Space Lab, where Sheba’s scientists design experiments and medical research intended to be launched into space.
Their latest experiment will be launched to the International Space Station (ISS) on July 31, 2025, as part of NASA and SpaceX’s Crew-11 mission aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
To witness the live launch of the rocket click here.
Studying Bacterial Behavior in Space vs. Earth
Developed in partnership with Space Tango, a U.S.-based space research company, Sheba’s ARC Space Lab experiment focuses on how space conditions affect gene expression in bacteria, specifically in relation to virulence and antibiotic resistance.
To study this, disease-causing bacteria will be launched to the International Space Station (ISS), where they will grow in a specially designed, Earth-controlled system under microgravity conditions. Then, the bacteria will be stabilized, frozen at -80°C, and eventually returned to Earth for molecular and transcriptional analysis. In parallel, identical samples will be cultivated at Sheba on Earth.
By comparing the two sets of samples, researchers hope to uncover how microgravity alters bacterial behavior at the genetic level—insights that could inform both space medicine and our understanding of infectious diseases on Earth.
“This experiment will allow us, for the first time, to systematically and molecularly map how the genetic expression profile of several pathogenic bacteria changes in space,” said Prof. Ohad Gal-Mor, Head of Sheba’s Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory. “The insights we gain will expand our understanding of infectious disease risks in space travel and help us better understand how bacteria behave under extreme conditions.”
Sheba’s Continued Leadership in Medical Innovation
This marks Sheba’s second scientific mission to space. The first, launched in 2021, examined how bacteria transfer DNA through conjugation. In surprising results, published in the international peer-reviewed journal Microbiology Spectrum, researchers discovered that microgravity reduced bacteria’s ability to acquire antibiotic resistance.
Sheba is the only medical facility in Israel—and one of the few in the world—actively using space science to develop transformative medical solutions for both astronauts and patients on Earth. Through initiatives like ARC Space Lab, Sheba continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible in medicine.
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