What is the significance of the Crew-2 mission?

Recently, four astronauts were launched to the International Space Station (ISS) from Florida as part of a collaboration between NASA and SpaceX (a privately-funded rocket manufacturer and transport services company) under the Commercial Crew Program.
The mission is called Crew-2 and is the second crew rotation of the SpaceX Crew Dragon and the first with international partners.
They will stay aboard the ISS for six months during which time they will conduct science experiments in low-Earth orbit.

Starting mid-November 2020, Crew-1 team members conducted microgravity studies at the ISS. Some of the research that the crew carried with themselves included materials to investigate food physiology meant to study the effects of dietary improvements on immune function and the gut microbiome and how those improvements can help crews adapt to spaceflight.
Crew-2 astronauts will join the members and they will conduct science experiments in low-Earth orbit.
Their central focus during this time will be to continue a series of Tissue Chips in Space studies.
Tissue Chips are small models of human organs that contain multiple cell types that behave similarly to the human body. According to NASA, these chips can potentially speed up the process of identifying safe and effective drugs and vaccines.
In addition, many changes occurring in the human body during spaceflight resemble the onset and progression of aging and diseases on Earth but occur much more quickly in microgravity.
Therefore, scientists can use these tissue chips in space to study diseases that affect specific human organs, which would take months or years to develop on Earth.

The main objective of this program is to make access to space easier in terms of its cost, so that cargo and crew can be easily transported to and from the ISS, enabling greater scientific research.
Secondly, by encouraging private companies such as Boeing and SpaceX to provide crew transportation services to and from low-Earth orbit, NASA can focus on building spacecraft and rockets meant for deep space exploration missions.
To avail their services, NASA pays these companies, similar to how a passenger pays for a flight ticket to go from point A to B.
Boeing and SpaceX were selected by NASA in September 2014 to develop transportation systems meant to transfer crew from the US to the ISS.

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