A new drug reduced bone loss in mice on the International Space Station, without causing any negative side effects.
A drug shows promise for preventing the extreme bone loss that astronauts experience on lengthy space missions, a mouse study suggests.
"Our findings hold tremendous promise for the future of space exploration, particularly for missions involving extended stays in microgravity," co-author Dr. Chia Soo, a plastic surgeon at UCLA Health, said in a statement. BP-NELL-PEG is a tweaked version of the protein NELL-1. In animal studies, the protein has been shown to boost the activity of cells that form bone tissue, while inhibiting the cells that break bone down and jump-starting processes involved in bone repair.
As part of the SpaceX CRS-11 mission in 2017, 20 mice were sent to the ISS, while 20 were kept Earthside at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In both groups, half of the mice received BP-NELL-PEG and the other half received a salt solution. After nine weeks, the treated mice in space and on Earth showed a significant increase in bone formation. The untreated ISS mice showed a decline, while the untreated Earth mice remained stable.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
NASA’s Frank Rubio sets US space record as 3 astronauts return from space stationRubio and two Russians are back on Earth after working in space for just over a year.
Read more »
Sierra Space scores record funding, eyes space stationThe Louisville space company’s valuation has jumped to an impressive $5.3 billion after securing $290 million in its second Series B funding round.
Read more »
ESA Astronaut Andreas Mogensen Takes Over As International Space Station CommanderESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen became the commander of the International Space Station, the sixth European to take the role, on 26 September, at 15:43 CEST. Andreas has been in space for almost a month, where he has been conducting science experiments and technology demonstrations from all over E
Read more »
NASA's Frank Rubio sets US space record after year in space with cosmonautsRussian engineers suspect a piece of space junk pierced the radiator of their original capsule late last year, midway through what should have been a six-month mission –– which turned into a 371-day stay.
Read more »