Moffitt's space experiment on stress-induced DNA damage back on earth

TAMPA, Fla. - An experiment from Moffitt Cancer Center is back on earth after traveling hundreds of miles up, and then, hundreds of thousands more miles orbiting the planet.

The test flew aboard the first all-private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, studying stress and DNA damage caused by space travel. Researchers hope their results will not only protect those traveling to space but also people here on earth.

The April 8th Axiom Mission 1 launched four crew members to the ISS along with the small but powerful experiment.

During spaceflight, astronauts are exposed to stresses like microgravity, ionizing radiation, and physical stress. That can lead to DNA damage and increase the risk for diseases like cancer. Researchers want to know if silencing or deleting a particular gene known as beta-arrestin1 can protect against chronic stress-induced DNA damage, and if so, can the process be mimicked with a drug?

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"The only way we can do that is to send these cells up to the ISS," said Dr. Patsy McDonald, Research Scientist with the Cancer Physiology Department at Moffitt Cancer Center.

"The ideal results would be if there is differential gene expression under spaceflight versus that in one gene on earth," said Dr. Derek Duckett, Chair of Moffitt Cancer Center's Drug Discovery Department, "and if that differential gene expression can be exploited for human health, especially cancer therapies."

They tested the theory in space in a lab the size of a shoebox.

"The astronauts actually didn't have to do anything except plug it in," said Dr. Liz Bailey, Research Scientist at Moffitt Cancer Center.

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Now, back here on earth, they'll repeat the same tests and compare results. The samples from space are currently preserved in a -80-degree Celsius freezer.

"We want to compare the experiment to the ISS experiment and see if there is a different response to the different stresses of the experiment," said McDonald.

The main goal is to develop preventative measures to combat the harsh environment endured while flying up there. "With these longer-term flights that are scheduled, we have no real idea of knowing what that's going to do to our biology," Bailey said.

However, the results of the experiment have earthly implications, too.

"This could potentially result in therapeutics that would help people who are exposed to different stressors here on Earth. For example, UV rays and things that we know can cause DNA damage," Bailey said.

"To be able to impact patients' lives in that way is the reward that we hope to get," McDonald said.

This experiment lifted off thanks to funding from Space Florida and SpacePharma which provided their unique lab-on-a-chip. Aside from the weather which delayed the arrival on earth by nearly a week, everything went smoothly. They expect to share their full results in a few weeks.