Space travel may accelerate the aging of stem cells as much as tenfold
2 days ago
- #aging
- #spaceflight
- #stem-cells
- Spaceflight causes significant physical stress on astronauts, leading to bone density loss, brain and eye nerve swelling, and changes in gene expression.
- NASA's twins study with astronauts Mark and Scott Kelly showed that spaceflight can accelerate aging, with effects like DNA damage and cognitive decline persisting after return to Earth.
- A new study in Cell Stem Cell reveals that stem cells age ten times faster in space than on Earth, potentially leading to chronic conditions like cancer and heart disease.
- Stem cells, crucial for tissue repair, show signs of aging in space, including increased inflammation and reduced telomere maintenance, which can cause genomic instability.
- The study used stem cells from hip replacement patients, housed in nanobioreactors, and sent to the International Space Station for 32-45 days to observe aging effects.
- Findings suggest that spaceflight triggers rapid immune responses and genomic instability, similar to accelerated aging processes observed in the Kelly twins study.
- The research aims to help develop therapies for age-related illnesses, benefiting both astronauts and Earth-bound populations as global aging increases.