Human tissue samples from an Oxford experiment are on their way to the International Space Station.

The samples, from Oxford's Space Innovation Lab, are part of a study to understand the impact of microgravity on human ageing.

The researchers flew to the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida to prepare the samples for the launch, which took place in the early hours of Tuesday, November 5.

The samples are housed within a science cube, which will be accommodated inside the ICE Cubes facility once onboard the space station.

This platform provides power and data to the payload and allows researchers in Oxford to monitor and interact with the experiment in real time.

Dr Ghada Alsaleh, who leads the Space Innovation Lab, said: "This is an exciting moment - not just because we're embarking on a journey to space, but because we're bringing along a ground-breaking project that could help people live healthier lives, both on Earth and in space.

"Our project seeks to uncover how ageing progresses under microgravity conditions and to test if these conditions could speed up the study of ageing processes that take much longer to observe on Earth."

The research aims to gain insights that could lead to breakthroughs in understanding and treating age-related diseases.

Dr Alsaleh said these discoveries "could significantly improve the quality of life for people on Earth, reducing the burden of ageing not only for individuals but also for their loved ones and society as a whole".

She added: "Using cutting-edge tools like organoids, 3D printing, and mechanical stress testing, we're trying to understand how ageing works at the cellular level.

"The goal is to find ways to slow down age-related health issues, whether you're on Earth or up in space."

The Space Innovation Lab, the first of its kind in the UK, opened in July 2023 and is dedicated to understanding the effect of space microgravity on the ageing process.

The researchers have a direct operational connection to the space station to follow their research experiments.

The lab is based at the Botnar Institute of Musculoskeletal Sciences at Oxford's Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences (NDORMS), which focuses on discovering the causes of musculoskeletal and inflammatory conditions.

Professor Jonathan Rees, head of NDORMS, said: "This pioneering research project demonstrates the international nature of modern scientific research.

"The collaborations between Oxford, space agencies, and industry have made it possible for researchers to control and observe experiments in space in real time, which makes the whole process of carrying out cutting-edge research far more efficient."