Out-of-this-world study will test how stem cells function in space
- Team from the world-renowned Mayo Clinic will examine how the absence of gravity plays a role in bone loss, as astronauts lose bone density on long missions
- Experiment could have implications for future space flights that include taking humans to Mars
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, in the US state of Florida, on January 18, 2024. Later this month, a payload will launch into space with a research experiment on stem cells. Photo: AP A unique experiment will take place on January 29 when a payload launches into space from Nasa’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, in the US state of Florida. Scientists are preparing stem cells for the flight to test how the absence of gravity plays a role in bone loss.
“We’ve known for some time that astronauts lose bone density on long-duration space flights,” said Dr Abba Zubair, a laboratory medicine and pathology specialist at Mayo Clinic, a world-renowned healthcare and medical research centre. “We want to understand how this occurs so we can work on solutions that prevent bone loss not only in astronauts while they’re in space, but also in patients here on Earth.”
The research project will examine the effect of gravity on a type of stem cells derived from bone marrow known as mesenchymal stem cells, or adult stem cells with growth factors and healing potential. They play a key role in tissue repair and regeneration. Dr Zubair’s team will look at how the stem cells function while in space. Dr Zubair says the experiment could have implications for future space flights that include taking humans to Mars.
This early research also could affect human clinical trials down the road, perhaps a decade away, according to Dr Zubair.
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“We will use what we learn from this project to advance our research on the road to clinical trials, with the ultimate goal of testing therapeutic agents that can prevent or treat bone loss that comes with osteoporosis, as well as bone loss that occurs in patients who are bedridden for long periods of time,” he says.
The research will be conducted during two space flights. The first space flight will evaluate the impact of microgravity on bone-forming stem cells. The second space flight is tentatively planned for the end of the year and will analyse the effects of microgravity on other cell types that participate in bone formation or loss. A compound will be tested that can be used to treat bone loss in space and potentially on Earth.
The first foray into space for Dr Zubair’s research was in 2017, when a payload of several samples of donated stem cells blasted off from Kennedy Space Center in a test to determine if they could hold up in space and be more quickly mass-produced in microgravity for use in stroke treatment. A subsequent research experiment in space found that stem cells grown in weightlessness are safe and feasible for applications to human disease.