Exploration of space to achieve scientific breakthroughs

Prasad, Binod; Richter, Peter; Vadakedath, Nithya; Mancinelli, Rocco L.; Krüger, Marcus; Strauch, Sebastian M.; Grimm, Daniela; Darriet, Philippe; Chapel, Jean‐Paul; Cohen, Jacob; Lebert, Michael

doi:10.1016/j.biotechadv.2020.107572

Cited by 27 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 454 publications

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“…However, future space exploration efforts by government and commercial ventures are focused on missions to the moon, asteroids, and Mars, and those explorations will require astronauts to spend many months and perhaps years in altered gravity. Thus, information on how prolonged microgravity exposure affects different organ systems will be critical to the success of those efforts (Criscuolo et al, 2020;Prasad et al, 2020). It is likely that, at the cellular level, there are underlying and conserved responses to altered gravity that are shared between organisms.…”

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confidence: 99%

Prolonged Exposure to Microgravity Reduces Cardiac Contractility and Initiates Remodeling in Drosophila

et al. 2020

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confidence: 99%

Prolonged Exposure to Microgravity Reduces Cardiac Contractility and Initiates Remodeling in Drosophila

et al. 2020

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“…The conventional strategies have been, to date, to search for well-adapted and well-performing organisms (Pickens et al ., 2011; King et al ., 2016; Wohlleben et al ., 2016; Zhang et al ., 2018). We hypothesize that the simple and most redefining strategy would be to subject organisms to stress conditions that modulate evolutionary processes (recombination, mutation, epigenetic modification and gene transfer) and support the emergence of genetically diverse or new varieties of strains (Boto, 2010; Lynch, 2010; Nei, 2013; Lind and Spagopoulou, 2018; Prasad et al ., 2020). Environmental stressors, including both biotic (e.g.…”

Section: Earth's Changing Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, the development of antibiotics, pesticide and heavy metal resistance in different organisms in response to the selection pressure exerted by these agents (Davies and Davies, 2010; Lerminiaux and Cameron, 2019). The space environment consists of many unique stress factors that cause both mutagenic and/or non-mutagenic effects and can be exploited to induce evolutionary changes in cells and organisms (Horneck et al ., 2010; Prasad et al ., 2020).…”

Section: Earth's Changing Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The hostile environment of space is characterized by factors that stress organisms in ways that cannot be mimicked on Earth, such as microgravity (weightlessness), intense ionizing radiation, high vacuum, pressure, space magnetic fields and extreme temperatures (Horneck et al ., 2010; Kennedy, 2014; Prasad et al ., 2020). These factors would not occur on Earth.…”

Section: Space Environmental Factors Inducing Evolutionary Changesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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How the space environment influences organisms: an astrobiological perspective and review

Prasad

Richter

Vadakedath

et al. 2021

International Journal of Astrobiology

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The unique environment of space is characterized by several stress factors, including intense radiation, microgravity, high vacuum and extreme temperatures, among others. These stress conditions individually or in-combination influence genetics and gene regulation and bring potential evolutionary changes in organisms that would not occur under the Earth's gravity regime (1 × g). Thus, space can be explored to support the emergence of new varieties of microbes and plants, that when selected for, can exhibit increased growth and yield, improved resistance to pathogens, enhanced tolerance to drought, low nutrient and disease, produce new metabolites and others. These properties may be more difficult to achieve using other approaches under 1 × g. This review provides an overview of the space microgravity and ionizing radiation conditions that significantly influence organisms. Changes in the genomics, physiology, phenotype, growth and metabolites of organisms in real and simulated microgravity and radiation conditions are illustrated. Results of space biological experiments show that the space environment has significant scientific, technological and commercial potential. Combined these potentials can help address the future of life on Earth, part of goal e of astrobiology.

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“…Therefore, there is little or no genetic memory in organisms on how to respond to force changes in the low gravity range. Hence, it is likely that terrestrial life adapting to µ g will reveal many novel mechanisms that could be helpful in biomedical research [ 8 , 9 , 10 ].…”

Section: Learning From Spacementioning

confidence: 99%

Breast Cancer Cells in Microgravity: New Aspects for Cancer Research

Nassef

Melnik

Kopp

et al. 2020

IJMS

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Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in females. The incidence has risen dramatically during recent decades. Dismissed as an “unsolved problem of the last century”, breast cancer still represents a health burden with no effective solution identified so far. Microgravity (µg) research might be an unusual method to combat the disease, but cancer biologists decided to harness the power of µg as an exceptional method to increase efficacy and precision of future breast cancer therapies. Numerous studies have indicated that µg has a great impact on cancer cells; by influencing proliferation, survival, and migration, it shifts breast cancer cells toward a less aggressive phenotype. In addition, through the de novo generation of tumor spheroids, µg research provides a reliable in vitro 3D tumor model for preclinical cancer drug development and to study various processes of cancer progression. In summary, µg has become an important tool in understanding and influencing breast cancer biology.

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Exploration of space to achieve scientific breakthroughs

Cited by 27 publications

References 454 publications

Prolonged Exposure to Microgravity Reduces Cardiac Contractility and Initiates Remodeling in Drosophila

Prolonged Exposure to Microgravity Reduces Cardiac Contractility and Initiates Remodeling in Drosophila

How the space environment influences organisms: an astrobiological perspective and review

Breast Cancer Cells in Microgravity: New Aspects for Cancer Research

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