2021 ISSRDC Award: Rodent Research for Regenerative Medicine
NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly handling the Rodent Research Facility onboard the International Space Station.
Media Credit: NASA
Each year, the International Space Station Research and Development Conference (ISSRDC(Abbreviation: ISSRDC) The only conference dedicated exclusively to showcasing how the International Space Station is advancing science and technology and enabling a robust and sustainable market in LEO. This annual conference brings together leaders from the commercial sector, U.S. government agencies, and academic communities to foster innovation and discovery onboard the space station. ISSRDC is hosted by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, manager of the ISS National Lab; NASA; and the American Astronautical Society.), hosted by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS(Abbreviation: CASIS™) The nonprofit organization that manages the ISS National Lab, which receives at least 50 percent of the U.S. research allocation on the International Space Station to facilitate research that benefits humanity (NASA manages the other 50% and focuses on research for space exploration purposes).), NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the American Astronautical Society, awards individuals who have pushed the boundaries of space-based research.
Rasha Hammamieh, director of medical readiness systems biology at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, was awarded a 2021 ISSRDC award for compelling results in biology and medicine
Through a series of rodent research investigations, Rasha Hammamieh of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research is using microgravityThe condition of perceived weightlessness created when an object is in free fall, for example when an object is in orbital motion. Microgravity alters many observable phenomena within the physical and life sciences, allowing scientists to study things in ways not possible on Earth. The International Space Station provides access to a persistent microgravity environment. conditions onboard the International Space Station (ISSInternational Space Station) to advance the healing of wounds on Earth.
Hammamieh has conducted two rodent research investigations sponsored by the ISS U.S. National Laboratory, with a third preparing for launch, examining the effects of microgravity on the healing of bone and skin wounds.
A ground validation study and subsequent spaceflight experiment showed that a bone healing agent applied to mice that underwent orthopedic surgery on Earth, in combination with a reduction in the weight-loading effects of gravity in the microgravity environment of the ISS, generated positive signs of bone growth. Results were published in the journal npj Microgravity in March 2021. A follow-up ISS experiment looking at the effects of microgravity on the healing of skin wounds is currently scheduled to launch next year.
Results from these projects could have implications for treating wounds both on Earth and during future long-term space exploration missions.