Pioneering research into the health impacts of spaceflight has been identified as a possible experiment to be conducted by British astronaut Tim Peake on his maiden voyage to the International Space Station (ISS) later this year.
Credit: ESA, NASA, ROSCOSMOS
In a recent international call for new life sciences experiments to be flown on the ISS, coordinated by NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japanese and Canadian space agencies, three new experiments led by UK research teams were selected by ESA for further consideration. Of these, an experiment led by Professor Donna Davies from Medicine was one of the two top-ranked proposals in Europe in terms of scientific merit, judged to be ‘outstanding’ by the international review panel.
Professor Davies is part of an international team who will investigate how a lack of gravity affects the respiratory system, using a novel 3D model of human airways. The aim of the experiments is to improve our understanding of human health here on Earth, as well as the effects of long duration human space travel.
Professor Davies said:
“Cells can respond to mechanical signals such as gravity, pressure or touch. Although zero gravity conditions alter several aspects of lung structure and function, how this works at the cellular level is unknown.
Our experiment aims to explore how weightlessness affects several aspects of airway cell behaviour including production of the protective mucous layer, formation of cilia (motile hair-like structures that move the mucous along the airways) and deposition of extracellular matrix (scar tissue).
Since these processes are altered in several common, chronic lung diseases, we hope that our experiment will provide new insight into lung health and disease.”
You can read the full press release here.