Microbial Vaccine Development—Scientific
findings from ISS research have shown
increased virulence in Salmonella bacteria
flown in space and identified the controlling
gene responsible. AstroGenetix, Inc., has
funded their own follow-on studies on the ISS
and are now pursuing approval of a vaccine
of an Investigational New Drug (IND) with
the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The company is now applying a similar
development approach to methycillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
Crew Earth Observations—International
Polar Year (CEO-IPY) supported an international
collaboration of scientists studying
Earth’s polar regions from 2007 to 2009. ISS
crewmembers photographed polar phenomena
including icebergs, auroras, and mesospheric
clouds. Observations, through digital still
photography and video, from the ISS are used
in conjunction with data gathered from satellites
and ground observations to understand
the current status of the polar regions. The
ISS, as a platform for these observations, will
contribute data that have not been available in
the past and will set the precedent for future
international scientific collaborations for Earth
observations. The International Polar Year,
which started in 2007 and extended through
February 2009, is a global campaign to study
Earth’s polar regions and their role in global
climate change.
Lab-on-a-Chip Application
Development—Portable Test System
(LOCAD-PTS) is a handheld device for
rapid detection of biological and chemical
substances on surfaces aboard the ISS.
Astronauts swab surfaces within the cabin,
mix swabbed material in liquid form to the
LOCAD-PTS, and obtain results within
15 minutes on a display screen, effectively
providing an early warning system to
enable the crew to take remedial measures if
necessary to protect themselves on board the
ISS. The handheld device is used with three
different types of cartridges for the detection
of endotoxin (a marker of gram-negative
bacteria), glucan (fungi), and lipoteichoic
acid (gram-positive bacteria). Lab-on-a-
Chip technology has an ever-expanding
range of applications in the biotech industry.
Chips are available (or in development)
that can also detect yeast, mold, and grampositive
bacteria; identify environmental
contaminants; and perform quick health
diagnostics in medical clinics.
The Plasma Crystal experiment was one of the first scientific experiments performed on the ISS in 2001. Complex plasma is a low-temperature gaseous mixture composed of ionized gas, neutral gas, and micron-sized particles. Under specific conditions, the interactions of these microparticles lead to a self-organized structure of a “plasma crystal” state of matter. Gravity causes the microparticles to sediment due to their relatively high mass compared to that of the ions, and so they have to be electrostatically levitated for proper development. The microgravity environment of the ISS allowed the development of larger three-dimensional plasma crystal systems in much weaker electric fields than those necessary for the levitation on the ground, revealing unique structural details of the crystals. The European Space Agency (ESA) is now building the next generation of complex plasma experiments for the ISS in collaboration with a large international science team. Understanding the formation and structure of these plasma crystal systems can also lead to improvements in industrial process development on Earth.
Treatment Options for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: Collaborative High Quality Protein Crystal Growth—This JAXA- and Roscosmos-sponsored investigation was a unique collaboration between several ISS International Partners. The HQL-79 (human hematopoietic prostaglandin D2 synthase inhibitor) protein is a candidate treatment in inhibiting the effects of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Investigators used the microgravity environment of the ISS to grow larger crystals and more accurately determine the three-dimensional structures of HQL-79 protein crystals. The findings led to the development of a more potent form of the protein, which is important for the development of a novel treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Russian investigators have collaborated internationally to grow macromolecular crystals on ISS since 2001, including genetically engineered human insulin (deposited into protein data bank in 2008), tuberculosis, and cholera-derived pyrophosphatase. The next generation of Russian-Japanese collaboration is the JAXA-High Quality Protein Crystal Growth experiment installed in Kibo in August 2009.
Electron density maps of HQL-79 crystals grown on Earth show a smaller three-dimensional structure (resolution of 1.7 Angströms, top left) as compared to the HQL-79 crystals grown in space (resolution of 1.28 Angströms, lower right).
Advanced Diagnostic Ultrasound in Microgravity (ADUM)—The ultrasound is the only medical imaging device currently available on the ISS. This experiment demonstrated the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound in medical contingencies in space and determined the ability of minimally trained crewmembers to perform ultrasound examinations with remote guidance from the ground. The telemedicine strategies investigated by this experiment could have widespread application and have been applied on Earth in emergency and rural care situations. In fact, the benefits of this research are being used in professional and amateur sports from hockey, baseball, and football teams to the U.S. Olympic Committee. Sport physicians and trainers can now perform similar scans on injured players at each of their respective sport complexes by taking advantage of ultrasound experts available remotely at the Henry Ford Medical System in Detroit. This is an excellent example of how research aboard the ISS continues to be put to good use here on Earth while, at the same time, paving the way for our future explorers.
An ISS investigator recently patented the Microparticle Analysis System and Method, an invention for a device that detects and analyzes microparticles. This technology supports the chemical and pharmaceutical industries and is one of a sequence of inventions related to technology development for experiments on the ISS and Shuttle, including the Microencapsulation Electrostatic Processing System (MEPS) experiment that demonstrated microencapsulation processing of drugs, a new and powerful method for delivering drugs to targeted locations. MEPS technologies and methods have since been developed that will be used to deliver microcapsules of anti-tumor drugs directly to tumor sites as a form of cancer therapy
The laboratories of the ISS are virtually complete; key research facilities—science laboratories in space—are up and running. In 2008, the ESA Columbus and JAXA Kibo laboratories joined the U.S. Destiny Laboratory and the Russian Zvezda Service Module. Zvezda was intended primarily to support crew habitation but became the first multipurpose research laboratory of the ISS. In addition, the U.S. has expanded its user base beyond NASA to other government agencies and the private sectors to make the ISS a U.S. National Laboratory.
As all ISS partner nations begin their research programs, international collaboration and interchange among scientists worldwide is growing rapidly. Over the final years of assembly in 2009–2010, the initial experiments have been completed in the newest racks, the crew size on board ISS has doubled to six astronauts/cosmonauts, and in 2010 we will transition from “early utilization” to “full utilization” of ISS. The ISS labs are GO!
This high-flying international laboratory is packed with some of the most technologically sophisticated facilities that can support a wide range of scientific inquiry in biology, human physiology, physical and materials sciences, and Earth and space science. There is probably no single place on Earth where you can find such a laboratory—approximately the size of an American football field (including the end zones) and having the interior volume of 1.5 Boeing 747 jetliners—with facilities to conduct the breadth of research that can be done aboard the ISS. Keep turning the pages to learn more about this amazing laboratory orbiting approximately 350 km (220 mi) above us.
(Reference Guide to the International Space Station), Assembly complete addition-Nov 2010, Labratory Facilities.508381 main_ISS_ref_guide_Nov 2010.PDF
0 comments:
Post a Comment