Wyss Institute
Harvard bioengineering institute that developed the organ-on-chip technology aboard Orion.
Last refreshed: 2 April 2026 · Appears in 2 active topics
How do organ-on-a-chip devices work aboard a spacecraft?
Timeline for Wyss Institute
Interceptor Crisis Reaches Projected Depletion Window
Iran Conflict 2026Mentioned in: Crew's Own Cells Fly to the Moon as Living Experiments
Artemis II Moon MissionMentioned in: Tropic Biosciences raises $105m from Norwich
UK Startups and InnovationWhat is the Wyss Institute?
What organ-on-chip technology is on Artemis II?
Why send organ chips to the Moon?
Background
The Wyss Institute developed the organ-on-chip platform used in the AVATAR Experiment, which flies microfluidic devices containing cells from each Artemis II crew member's own bone marrow in deep space.
The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University was founded in 2009 with a gift from Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss. It pioneered the organ-on-chip concept: microfluidic devices that mimic the mechanical and biochemical environment of human tissue, enabling drug testing and disease modelling outside the body.
The Artemis II flight is the first time Wyss organ chips have operated beyond low Earth orbit. The deep-space radiation environment at lunar distance is significantly more intense than at the International Space Station, providing data on radiation effects that is impossible to replicate in terrestrial labs or in LEO.