Could mice orbiting the Earth hold the key to stopping aging? International Space Station set for radical rodent experiment to study how they get old
- Experiment is using use young and old mice flown in space and kept on Earth
- Will study how they age differently over time
- Previous studies revealed animals and astronauts appear to age more quickly
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A radical experiment monitoring how mice get old as they orbit the Earth could reveal new clues in the battle against aging.
The new experiment on the International Space Station is using use young and old mice flown in space and kept on Earth.
By comparing them it hopes to spot signs of the ‘superfast’ aging that occurs in microgravity.
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NASA astronaut Anne Mcclain working within a Mouse Habitat Unit.
Researchers believe the study could help slow aging on Earth, also also give new insight into how it could affect astronauts on long duration missions in space.
Previous research has shown that spending time in space causes bone density loss, immune dysfunction, cardiovascular issues such as stiffening of arteries, and loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength in both humans and rodent models.
These changes resemble aging in people age on Earth, but happen more quickly.
‘There is something about being in space for an extended period of time, more than several weeks,’ said Michael S. Roberts, deputy chief scientist at the U.S. National Laboratory, a sponsor of the investigation.
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HOW THE EXPERIMENT IS BEING DONE
The investigation keeps a group of young mice (10-16 weeks old) and another group of older mice (30-52 weeks old) on the space station for different periods of time – approximately 30 and 60 days – to make it possible to examine that accelerated aging process more closely.
Researchers also plan to observe the activity levels of the different groups, expecting the younger mice to be more active than the older ones.
Activity, or exercise, is known to affect the rate of bone and muscle loss in mice just as it does in humans.
The mice, provided by Taconic Biosciences, are all from a genetically identical strain.
‘A lot of the experiments with rodents on the space station have looked at the effects of microgravity, but microgravity may not be the sole cause.
‘Exposure to the space environment also involves radiation, stress, and other factors that affect health.
‘It could be some combination of all of them.
‘Part of this experiment is validating that general aging response in the mice.’
‘We are trying to get down to the molecular basis for what is happening,’ Roberts said.
The new experiment on the International Space Station is using use young and old mice flown in space and kept on Earth.
‘To use mice or other organisms as models for studying humans, we need to understand whether the effects of space exposure have the same causes and outcomes as conditions in humans on Earth.
‘We want to see if the same things happen in mice and whether the rate of change is affected by the age of the mouse at exposure.’
Better understanding of changes to the body that occur in spaceflight can contribute to developing countermeasures and therapies that protect the health of astronauts and help people with age-related conditions and diseases on Earth.
HOW DID SCOTT KELLY’S DNA CHANGE IN SPACE?
After 340 days aboard the International Space Station, American astronaut Scott Kelly returned to Earth in March 2016.
Nasa has since undertaken tests to study the effects living in orbit had on Kelly using his identical twin brother Mark – who remained on Earth – as a control subject.
The Kelly brothers have nearly identical genomes, allowing for an unprecedented look at the physical effects of long-term spaceflight.
While astronaut Scott Kelly (right) lived aboard the International Space Station for 340 days, his identical twin brother Mark (left) remained on Earth – and researchers have now found a number of differences between the two
Blood and other biological samples were collected from the pair before, during, and after Scott Kelly’s mission.
The agency found that Kelly came home 5 cm (2 inches) taller than his twin – a change had resolved itself within two days of his return.
The height difference was caused by the ISS’ microgravity conditions which elongate the spine – but the effect was only temporary.
Nasa found that while 93 per cent of Kelly’s genes returned to normal shortly after returning home, seven per cent were permanently altered.
These long-term changes hit genes related to the immune system, DNA repair, bone formation and the ways his tissues take up oxygen and carbon dioxide.
Kelly’s telomeres – the caps at the end of each chromosome – lengthened while in space.
Telomeres are key to protecting DNA from damage and tend to shorten with age. Kelly’s telomeres shortened again once he was back on Earth.
Scientists reported their preliminary results at a meeting for Nasa’s Human Research Program in January 2017. Pictured are some of the areas studied by the team
Nasa says that Kelly’s lengthening telomeres are linked with his diet and exercise routine on the station.
The ratio of two groups of gut bacteria shifted while Kelly was in space, likely due to his change in diet. This also returned to normal shortly after his return.
Nasa research has spotted hundreds of diverging genetic mutations in Kelly and Mark’s genomes.
The research team speculate that a ‘space gene’ could have been activated while Kelly was in orbit.
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