January 26, 2024
Mayo Clinic Research to Launch into Space
A Mayo Clinic research experiment will be part of a payload that launches into space from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Jan. 29, subject to weather conditions and other factors.
The research team from the lab of Dr. Abba Zubair is preparing stem cells for the flight to test how the absence of gravity plays a role in bone loss. 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 spaceflights that include taking humans to Mars. This early research also could affect human clinical trials down the road, perhaps a decade away.
—Please see https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/new-mayo-clinic-stem-cell-research-to-take-flight-into-space/ to
read more.