Crystallizing Proteins in Space to Help Parkinson’s Patients on Earth

One million people in the U.S., and more than 5 million worldwide, are currently living with Parkinson’s disease. In an effort to help people with Parkinson’s on Earth, The Michael J. Fox Foundation is taking its research off the planet—to the International Space Station (ISSInternational Space Station) National Lab.

Leveraging 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 on the ISS National Lab, The Michael J. Fox Foundation aims to crystallize the LRRK2 protein, which is associated with the development of Parkinson’s. Crystals grown in microgravity are often larger and more well-ordered than crystals grown on Earth. Space-based studies could help researchers better understand the structure of LRRK2, which could help advance drug development for Parkinson’s.

Learn more about The Michael J. Fox Foundation’s ISS National Lab research in the NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration article “Designing a Key to Unlock Parkinson’s Disease” and in the ISS360 article “Going Beyond Earth’s Limitations to Understand Parkinson’s Disease.”