Nate
Gold Member
Human Stem Cells Grow Differently in Space : Discovery NewsHuman stem cells grown in a rotating vessel to simulate microgravity are vastly different from those allowed to develop under normal conditions, a new study shows.
The research raises questions about the viability of humans traveling in space without gravity for long periods of time.
Australian scientists used a NASA-developed bioreactor to grow cells from a human embryonic stem cell line. These types of cells can develop into any of the body's three primary layers -- ectoderm, endoderm and mesoderm, which in turn form more than the 220 types of cells found in humans.
The team discovered that 64 percent of the proteins found in the stem cells grown in simulated microgravity were not in control samples. In particular, the bioreactor cells contained several proteins involved in the breakdown of bone and in the regulation of calcium, neither type of which were found in stem cells grown in regular, Earth gravity.
So unless we find a way to stop bone loss while in space this puts a serious crimp on deep space exploration for mankind. Is this a sign that it will only be our robots doing the leg work up there or do you think that scientists may have something with bisphosphonates?
Fosamax and Bisphosphonates - Risks and Precautions | Bisphosphonates.orgBisphosphonates are used to prevent bone loss in cancer patients taking other drugs that would cause bones loss, to treat bone pain associated with cancer treatment, and to treat osteoporosis sufferers to help them maintain bone mass.