Biolab
(biological Experiment laboratory in Columbus)

The Biolab facility is the laboratory designed to support biological experiments on micro-organisms, cells, tissue cultures, small plants and small invertebrates. The major objective of performing Life Science experiments in space is to identify the role that microgravity plays at all levels of an organism, from the effects on a single cell up to a complex organism including humans. Europe has a strong background in this area of research, gained by numerous flights of previous facilities, e.g. Biorack and Biobox, and the design of the Biolab facility is building upon this foundation. The results from Biolab can strongly influence our lives here on Earth, particularly in the areas of immunology, bone demineralisation, cellular signal transduction and cellular repair capability. Such results could even have a significant influence on products in the medical, pharmacological and biotechnology fields.