Performance of a miniaturized bioreactor in space flight: microtechnology at the service of space biology

We describe here the performance and the use of microtechnology in a miniat urized bioreactor developed for the continuous cultivation of yeast cells, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, in microgravity. This bioreactor has been used on two Shuttle missions, where its functionality was successfully demonstrate d. In the future, bioreactors will become a key element for long-term exper iments, and would also be applied in the cultivation of mammalian cells or tissues for medical applications. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.