Marcel Egli is head of the Institute of Medical Engineering at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts that combines the "Space Biology Group" and the User Support and Operational Centre “BIOTESC” that serves the European Space Agency ESA. The Institute offers study programmes as well as complementary post-graduate courses.Marcel Egli became first a precision mechanic before he entered the academic career. He started off by earning a master’s degree in zoology from the University of Berne. Thereafter, he enrolled into a multi-disciplinary graduate school (medicine and biology) at the same University. After completion, he spent several years as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Melbourne (Howard Florey Institute, Australia) and at the Florida State University (Department of Biology, USA). There, he became Associate Faculty and focused on studying secretory rhythms of hormones in mammals. Later on, the appointment to lead the Space Biology Group at ETH Zurich brought him back to Switzerland. He received the Venia Legendi from ETH Zürich in space biology after submitting the habilitation thesis. A few years later, he moved his research group from Zurich to Lucerne, where the Institute of Medical Engineering was founded.Marcel Egli has published numerous scientific articles in the fields of neurobiology, neuro-endocrinology, and more recently in space biology. His current research interests include mainly the cellular mechanisms of mechanosensation, induced by mechanical unloading (e.g. weightlessness). For conducting such research, not only regular laboratory instruments are employed but also research platforms like airplanes performing parabolic flight manoeuvres, sounding rockets as well as the laboratories of the International Space Station ISS.
ZUSAMMENFASSUNGRückenschmerzen zu Beginn einer Raumfahrtmission sowie ein erhöhtes Risiko für Ban... more ZUSAMMENFASSUNGRückenschmerzen zu Beginn einer Raumfahrtmission sowie ein erhöhtes Risiko für Bandscheibenvorfälle (Diskusprolaps) nach der Rückkehr ist ein seit Langem bekanntes medizinisches Problem der bemannten Raumfahrt. Mit dem Bestreben, den Mond permanent zu besiedeln, wird der Erhalt der körperlichen Gesundheit in einer für den Menschen fremden Umgebung ein zentraler Faktor. Im Vergleich zu den Apollo-Flügen zum Mond in den 1970er-Jahren sollen die Aufenthalte auf dem Mond in Zukunft nicht nur ein paar Tage dauern, sondern Monate, was neue Gesundheitsrisiken mit sich bringt. Durch die Entfernung zur Erde und den dadurch eingeschränkten Zugang zu medizinischen Leistungen wird es ferner viel schwieriger oder gar unmöglich, bei Notfällen schnell einzugreifen. Deshalb sind neue Ideen zur Bewältigung der medizinischen Herausforderungen gefragt.
For an algal facade that is operated as a flat plate bioreactor, the biomass in the facade is cap... more For an algal facade that is operated as a flat plate bioreactor, the biomass in the facade is capable of producing energy as oil, or through methane digestion of the cells, while absorbing radiation that would heat the building. However, an algal facade could also produce electricity if coupled to a photovoltaic (PV) module. Experiments were conducted with a PV module situated behind a flat plate, algal bioreactor to determine the relative power output for such a hybrid facade compared to a PV module without the algal layer. Two container materials were tested (polypropylene and ac rylic), for two algal species (a green algae and a coccolithophore), at 4 biomass concentrations. The containers were two rectangular boxes with a volume of 0.4 liters and 1 liter, corresponding to path lengths (i.e. thicknesses) of 0.9 cm and 2.8 cm, respectively. Experimental re sults were presented as attenuation coefficients versus algal biomass, photovoltaic power output versus scalar irradiance, and...
Mathematical model describes a likely mechanism for the circadian prolactin (PRL) rhythm induced ... more Mathematical model describes a likely mechanism for the circadian prolactin (PRL) rhythm induced by cervical stimulation (CS). This is a mean field model that uses a single variable to describe the activity level of each cell population. With this model, the circadian PRL rhythm is due to the interactions between four cell populations. Lactotroph cells reside in the pituitary gland and their activity level is denoted by PRL. The other cell populations are located in the hypothalamus. Dopaminergic neurons, with activity level dopamine (DA), are located in the arcuate and periventricular nuclei. These release DA into portal blood vessels at the median eminence, from where it travels down to the pituitary and affects lactotrophs. DA is known to bind to D2 receptors on the lactotroph plasma membrane, leading to inhibition of lactotroph activity and secretion. The inhibitory influence is denoted with an open arrow from DA to PRL. PRL from lactotrophs also feeds back onto DA neurons, in a stimulatory manner. The stimulatory effects of PRL are due to increased gene expression and upregulation of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) activity, which synthesizes l-DOPA from tyrosine. The delay in the PRL effect due to gene expression is expected to be several hours, while the delay due to TH upregulation is as short as an hour. The use of mathematical modeling is reflective of the potential use of modeling in the study of the parental brain. In particular, modeling can be used to interpret complex biological data, and to suggest new experiments. The successful use of modeling as a research tool in the study of the parental brain requires some knowledge of the neural circuitry and hormonal pathways involved in the behavior under investigation, and there should be a relatively high degree of quantification in the data.
Cancer is a disease exhibiting uncontrollable cell growth and spreading to other parts of the org... more Cancer is a disease exhibiting uncontrollable cell growth and spreading to other parts of the organism. It is a heavy, worldwide burden for mankind with high morbidity and mortality. Therefore, groundbreaking research and innovations are necessary. Research in space under microgravity (µg) conditions is a novel approach with the potential to fight cancer and develop future cancer therapies. Space travel is accompanied by adverse effects on our health, and there is a need to counteract these health problems. On the cellular level, studies have shown that real (r-) and simulated (s-) µg impact survival, apoptosis, proliferation, migration, and adhesion as well as the cytoskeleton, the extracellular matrix, focal adhesion, and growth factors in cancer cells. Moreover, the µg-environment induces in vitro 3D tumor models (multicellular spheroids and organoids) with a high potential for preclinical drug targeting, cancer drug development, and studying the processes of cancer progression a...
Calcium (Ca2+) elevation is an essential secondary messenger in many cellular processes, includin... more Calcium (Ca2+) elevation is an essential secondary messenger in many cellular processes, including disease progression and adaptation to external stimuli, e.g., gravitational load. Therefore, mapping and quantifying Ca2+ signaling with a high spatiotemporal resolution is a key challenge. However, particularly on microgravity platforms, experiment time is limited, allowing only a small number of replicates. Furthermore, experiment hardware is exposed to changes in gravity levels, causing experimental artifacts unless appropriately controlled. We introduce a new experimental setup based on the fluorescent Ca2+ reporter CaMPARI2, onboard LED arrays, and subsequent microscopic analysis on the ground. This setup allows for higher throughput and accuracy due to its retrograde nature. The excellent performance of CaMPARI2 was demonstrated with human chondrocytes during the 75th ESA parabolic flight campaign. CaMPARI2 revealed a strong Ca2+ response triggered by histamine but was not affect...
Adequate mechanical stimulation is essential for cellular health and tissue maintenance, includin... more Adequate mechanical stimulation is essential for cellular health and tissue maintenance, including articular cartilage, which lines the articulating bones in joints. Chondrocytes, which are the sole cells found in articular cartilage, are responsible for matrix synthesis, maintenance and degradation. It is generally believed that chondrocytes require mechanical stimuli through daily physical activity for adequate cartilage homeostasis. However, to date, the molecular mechanisms of cellular force sensing (mechanotransduction) are not fully understood. Among other mechanisms, the cytoskeleton is thought to play a key role. Despite that gravity is a very small force at the cellular level, cytoskeletal adaptations have been observed under altered gravity conditions of a parabolic flight in multiple cell types. In this study, we developed a novel hardware which allowed to chemically fix primary bovine chondrocytes at 7 time points over the course of a 31-parabola flight. The samples were...
A spaceflight has enormous influence on the health of space voyagers due to the combined effects ... more A spaceflight has enormous influence on the health of space voyagers due to the combined effects of microgravity and cosmic radiation. Known effects of microgravity (μg) on cells are changes in differentiation and growth. Considering the commercialization of spaceflight, future space exploration, and long-term manned flights, research focusing on differentiation and growth of stem cells and cancer cells exposed to real (r-) and simulated (s-) μg is of high interest for regenerative medicine and cancer research. In this review, we focus on platforms to study r- and s-μg as well as the impact of μg on cancer stem cells in the field of gastrointestinal cancer, lung cancer, and osteosarcoma. Moreover, we review the current knowledge of different types of stem cells exposed to μg conditions with regard to differentiation and engineering of cartilage, bone, vasculature, heart, skin, and liver constructs. Significance statement Microgravity provides a unique environment for cell culture an...
Knowledge of the role of gravity in fundamental biological processes and, consequently, the impac... more Knowledge of the role of gravity in fundamental biological processes and, consequently, the impact of exposure to microgravity conditions provide insight into the basics of the development of life as well as enabling long-term space exploration missions. However, experimentation in real microgravity is expensive and scarcely available; thus, a variety of platforms have been developed to provide, on Earth, an experimental condition comparable to real microgravity. With the aim of simulating microgravity conditions, different ground-based facilities (GBF) have been constructed such as clinostats and random positioning machines as well as magnets for magnetic levitation. Here, we give an overview of ground-based facilities for the simulation of microgravity which were used in the frame of an ESA ground-based research programme dedicated to providing scientists access to these experimental capabilities in order to prepare their space experiments.
ZUSAMMENFASSUNGRückenschmerzen zu Beginn einer Raumfahrtmission sowie ein erhöhtes Risiko für Ban... more ZUSAMMENFASSUNGRückenschmerzen zu Beginn einer Raumfahrtmission sowie ein erhöhtes Risiko für Bandscheibenvorfälle (Diskusprolaps) nach der Rückkehr ist ein seit Langem bekanntes medizinisches Problem der bemannten Raumfahrt. Mit dem Bestreben, den Mond permanent zu besiedeln, wird der Erhalt der körperlichen Gesundheit in einer für den Menschen fremden Umgebung ein zentraler Faktor. Im Vergleich zu den Apollo-Flügen zum Mond in den 1970er-Jahren sollen die Aufenthalte auf dem Mond in Zukunft nicht nur ein paar Tage dauern, sondern Monate, was neue Gesundheitsrisiken mit sich bringt. Durch die Entfernung zur Erde und den dadurch eingeschränkten Zugang zu medizinischen Leistungen wird es ferner viel schwieriger oder gar unmöglich, bei Notfällen schnell einzugreifen. Deshalb sind neue Ideen zur Bewältigung der medizinischen Herausforderungen gefragt.
For an algal facade that is operated as a flat plate bioreactor, the biomass in the facade is cap... more For an algal facade that is operated as a flat plate bioreactor, the biomass in the facade is capable of producing energy as oil, or through methane digestion of the cells, while absorbing radiation that would heat the building. However, an algal facade could also produce electricity if coupled to a photovoltaic (PV) module. Experiments were conducted with a PV module situated behind a flat plate, algal bioreactor to determine the relative power output for such a hybrid facade compared to a PV module without the algal layer. Two container materials were tested (polypropylene and ac rylic), for two algal species (a green algae and a coccolithophore), at 4 biomass concentrations. The containers were two rectangular boxes with a volume of 0.4 liters and 1 liter, corresponding to path lengths (i.e. thicknesses) of 0.9 cm and 2.8 cm, respectively. Experimental re sults were presented as attenuation coefficients versus algal biomass, photovoltaic power output versus scalar irradiance, and...
Mathematical model describes a likely mechanism for the circadian prolactin (PRL) rhythm induced ... more Mathematical model describes a likely mechanism for the circadian prolactin (PRL) rhythm induced by cervical stimulation (CS). This is a mean field model that uses a single variable to describe the activity level of each cell population. With this model, the circadian PRL rhythm is due to the interactions between four cell populations. Lactotroph cells reside in the pituitary gland and their activity level is denoted by PRL. The other cell populations are located in the hypothalamus. Dopaminergic neurons, with activity level dopamine (DA), are located in the arcuate and periventricular nuclei. These release DA into portal blood vessels at the median eminence, from where it travels down to the pituitary and affects lactotrophs. DA is known to bind to D2 receptors on the lactotroph plasma membrane, leading to inhibition of lactotroph activity and secretion. The inhibitory influence is denoted with an open arrow from DA to PRL. PRL from lactotrophs also feeds back onto DA neurons, in a stimulatory manner. The stimulatory effects of PRL are due to increased gene expression and upregulation of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) activity, which synthesizes l-DOPA from tyrosine. The delay in the PRL effect due to gene expression is expected to be several hours, while the delay due to TH upregulation is as short as an hour. The use of mathematical modeling is reflective of the potential use of modeling in the study of the parental brain. In particular, modeling can be used to interpret complex biological data, and to suggest new experiments. The successful use of modeling as a research tool in the study of the parental brain requires some knowledge of the neural circuitry and hormonal pathways involved in the behavior under investigation, and there should be a relatively high degree of quantification in the data.
Cancer is a disease exhibiting uncontrollable cell growth and spreading to other parts of the org... more Cancer is a disease exhibiting uncontrollable cell growth and spreading to other parts of the organism. It is a heavy, worldwide burden for mankind with high morbidity and mortality. Therefore, groundbreaking research and innovations are necessary. Research in space under microgravity (µg) conditions is a novel approach with the potential to fight cancer and develop future cancer therapies. Space travel is accompanied by adverse effects on our health, and there is a need to counteract these health problems. On the cellular level, studies have shown that real (r-) and simulated (s-) µg impact survival, apoptosis, proliferation, migration, and adhesion as well as the cytoskeleton, the extracellular matrix, focal adhesion, and growth factors in cancer cells. Moreover, the µg-environment induces in vitro 3D tumor models (multicellular spheroids and organoids) with a high potential for preclinical drug targeting, cancer drug development, and studying the processes of cancer progression a...
Calcium (Ca2+) elevation is an essential secondary messenger in many cellular processes, includin... more Calcium (Ca2+) elevation is an essential secondary messenger in many cellular processes, including disease progression and adaptation to external stimuli, e.g., gravitational load. Therefore, mapping and quantifying Ca2+ signaling with a high spatiotemporal resolution is a key challenge. However, particularly on microgravity platforms, experiment time is limited, allowing only a small number of replicates. Furthermore, experiment hardware is exposed to changes in gravity levels, causing experimental artifacts unless appropriately controlled. We introduce a new experimental setup based on the fluorescent Ca2+ reporter CaMPARI2, onboard LED arrays, and subsequent microscopic analysis on the ground. This setup allows for higher throughput and accuracy due to its retrograde nature. The excellent performance of CaMPARI2 was demonstrated with human chondrocytes during the 75th ESA parabolic flight campaign. CaMPARI2 revealed a strong Ca2+ response triggered by histamine but was not affect...
Adequate mechanical stimulation is essential for cellular health and tissue maintenance, includin... more Adequate mechanical stimulation is essential for cellular health and tissue maintenance, including articular cartilage, which lines the articulating bones in joints. Chondrocytes, which are the sole cells found in articular cartilage, are responsible for matrix synthesis, maintenance and degradation. It is generally believed that chondrocytes require mechanical stimuli through daily physical activity for adequate cartilage homeostasis. However, to date, the molecular mechanisms of cellular force sensing (mechanotransduction) are not fully understood. Among other mechanisms, the cytoskeleton is thought to play a key role. Despite that gravity is a very small force at the cellular level, cytoskeletal adaptations have been observed under altered gravity conditions of a parabolic flight in multiple cell types. In this study, we developed a novel hardware which allowed to chemically fix primary bovine chondrocytes at 7 time points over the course of a 31-parabola flight. The samples were...
A spaceflight has enormous influence on the health of space voyagers due to the combined effects ... more A spaceflight has enormous influence on the health of space voyagers due to the combined effects of microgravity and cosmic radiation. Known effects of microgravity (μg) on cells are changes in differentiation and growth. Considering the commercialization of spaceflight, future space exploration, and long-term manned flights, research focusing on differentiation and growth of stem cells and cancer cells exposed to real (r-) and simulated (s-) μg is of high interest for regenerative medicine and cancer research. In this review, we focus on platforms to study r- and s-μg as well as the impact of μg on cancer stem cells in the field of gastrointestinal cancer, lung cancer, and osteosarcoma. Moreover, we review the current knowledge of different types of stem cells exposed to μg conditions with regard to differentiation and engineering of cartilage, bone, vasculature, heart, skin, and liver constructs. Significance statement Microgravity provides a unique environment for cell culture an...
Knowledge of the role of gravity in fundamental biological processes and, consequently, the impac... more Knowledge of the role of gravity in fundamental biological processes and, consequently, the impact of exposure to microgravity conditions provide insight into the basics of the development of life as well as enabling long-term space exploration missions. However, experimentation in real microgravity is expensive and scarcely available; thus, a variety of platforms have been developed to provide, on Earth, an experimental condition comparable to real microgravity. With the aim of simulating microgravity conditions, different ground-based facilities (GBF) have been constructed such as clinostats and random positioning machines as well as magnets for magnetic levitation. Here, we give an overview of ground-based facilities for the simulation of microgravity which were used in the frame of an ESA ground-based research programme dedicated to providing scientists access to these experimental capabilities in order to prepare their space experiments.
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Papers by Marcel Egli