The famous “Earthrise” photo taken by astronaut Bill Anders aboard Apollo 8 in 1968. (File photo courtesy NASA)
New research in understanding aging and disease – and how to potentially reverse it – is both on the earth and in the stars.
University of California, San Diego researchers working out of the Sanford Stem Cell Institute have found that space flight advances aging in cells.
The study sent human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells or blood and immune system stem cells to the International Space Station, then used a tracking system to record changes in cells in real time.
The stem cells struggled to make new, healthy cells, became more prone to damage, and by the end of the flight all showed signs of aging.
Catriona Jamieson, director of the Sanford Stem Cell institute and professor of medicine at UCSD, said that space is like an ultimate stress test on the human body and emphasizes what this research means for everyone back on Earth.
“Understanding these changes not only informs how we protect astronauts during long-duration missions, but also helps us model human aging and diseases like cancer here on Earth,” Jamieson said, per UCSD Today.
In 2015, NASA embarked on a year-long project now known as the Twins Study. This study separated astronautic twins Scott and Mark Kelly for 340 days. Scott lived in space, while Mark continued his life on Earth.
NASA found altered gene expression in Scott, but some of these changes reversed after he came home.
The purpose of this study was to observe the effects of space on the body, tracking changes in genetics, physiology, cognition and the microbiome.
It has become the foundation for work on aging at UCSD, which is taking a molecular look at the human body that wasn’t possible in 2015. New technological developments, like nanobioreactors and AI-powered imaging tools, have made it possible to see how space can trigger aging.
When space-exposed cells were put back in a young, healthy environment, damage reverses, similar to the Twins Study. This means it may be possible to rejuvenate aging cells.
UCSD worked with Space Tango, a for-profit company that develops systems for space research, to create the nanobioreactors used.
“We’re excited this breakthrough work is being published to the wider scientific and space communities,” said Twyman Clements, president and co-founder of Space Tango told UCSD Today.
The full study can be found in the scientific journal Cell Press.