Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States, representing one in five deaths. The inability of the damaged tissue of the heart muscle. Researchers from Emory University work to provide another option for such patients. To do this, the team took their research in a workshop as opposed to anyone on Earth-the Issinternational Space Station.
Chunhui Xu and her team used the ISS National Laboratory® For the research of heart cells to accelerate the growth of regenerative cell therapies that could be reversed by one day. The results of these studies have led to multiple publications evaluated by peerings, including the findings recently published in the high -impression magazine Biomaterials. Follow together on Xu’s trip to space research in a story presented in the latest issue of UpwardOfficial magazine of the ISS National Laboratory.
It all started with a seminar that open their eyes to science in space and a stunning observation on cancer cells during spaceflight. The researchers found that the exposure to the microGravitythe state of perceptual gravity created when an object is in free fall, for example when an object is in orbit. MicroGravity changes many observable phenomena within the physical and sciences of life, allowing scientists to study things in ways that are not possible on Earth. The International Space Station provides access to a persistent environment of microorrhea. Increased proliferation and survival of cancer cells. XU assumes that heart cells may have similar behavior, which will deal with two current barricades in the development of cell therapies for heart disease.
After successfully testing the theory in a study of a study using simulated microfinance, XU and its team conducted two space flight surveys. The first examined how stem cells differentiate into heart muscle cells, while the second looked at the maturation of the heart muscles in tissue structures. The insight acquired by space -based research could significantly promote methods for the production of heart cells for regenerative treatments, helping to transform the landscape of heart disease therapy.
In the article, XU says: “The environment environment provides an amazing opportunity for us to study cells in new ways.