NASA's bone study is almost complete.
(Photo : Photo by Alexander Gerst / ESA via Getty Images)
In this handout photo provided by the European Space Agency (ESA), German ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst takes a 'selfie' during his spacewalk, whilst aboard the International Space Station (ISS) on October 7, 2014 in Space.
This ongoing research of the international space union aims to know if Tetranite, a bone graft adhesive, could reverse the effects of weightlessness on bone tissues.
For the past years, NASA and other space organizations have been making efforts to reduce the effects of microgravity on astronauts' bone tissues and stem cells.
Now, NASA seems to be depending on the bone adhesive it is studying.
NASA's Bone Study is Almost Complete!
According to SciTech Daily's latest report, the Osteopromotive Bone Adhesive study of NASA is already on its second day; it is a three-day research.
(Photo : Photo by NASA via Getty Images)
In this handout photo provided by NASA, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly is seen floating during a spacewalk on December 21, 2015 in space. NASA astronauts Scott Kelly and Tim Kopra released brake handles on crew equipment carts on either side of the space stations mobile transporter rail car.
This research is being conducted by NASA's flight engineers, Nicole Mann, Frank Rubio, and Josh Cassada.
JAXA's (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata is also helping them.
The four astronauts spent their time working in the Kibo Laboratory module, observing biological specimens inside the Life Science Glovebox.
The samples they acquired were already sent back to Earth for analysis and evaluation.
As of press time, they are being compared to control samples, which are maintained on Earth under similar conditions.
NASA's Osteopromotive Bone Adhesive Study
NASA's official website explained that the new Osteopromotive Bone Adhesive study focuses on Tetranite.
"This adhesive enables bone cells called osteoblasts to repair bone fractures and defects," said the international aerospace organization.
NASA provided the exact objectives of its study, which include the following:
- Evaluate the effects of microgravity on post-natal skeletal stem cells expressing PRX1 (pnPRX1+ cells) and their contribution to the regeneration of a sub-critical size cranial defect (a bone defect that can heal spontaneously).
- Evaluate the effects of Tetranite on pnPRX1+ cells and their contribution to bone regeneration of a critical-size cranial defect (a bone defect that cannot heal spontaneously).
You can click this link to learn more details about this bone research.
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NASA scientists discovered flashes from the Sun, which could help them predict the next solar flares.
For more news updates about NASA and its other space missions, keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.
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