Crabs in Space: Researchers to test immune and wound-healing properties in microgravity
Astronauts won’t be sharing their next shuttle mission with crustacean colleagues. They will, however, be studying the effects of chitosan-based materials, a polysaccharide found in the shells of crustaceans, in microgravity.
Because the effects of microgravity on immune and wound-healing cells are similar to the body’s response following trauma on Earth, these experiments also offer an opportunity to observe the fundamental genetic responses to these compounds with and without infection.
Researchers will examine the effect of microgravity on human monocytes, which are typically one of the first responders to infection and trauma, and will also be able to monitor the transformations of cells that return from space.
While the space mission is underway, the team will conduct an identical experiment simultaneously on Earth. Following the mission, analyses will be done to compare the space-based and ground-based cellular expression.