Bacteria 'blasts off'

[Guest guest]

Bacteria 'blasts off'

ASU professor leads NASA study

by lyn Censky

published on Monday, October 16, 2006

http://www.asuwebdevil.com/issues/2006/10/16/news/698271

Lowery / THE STATE PRESS

Inside the Biodesign Institute Thursday, Dr. Cheryl Nickerson

demonstrates how to use a chamber to culture cells in the lab which

simulate aspects of space flight.

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ASU Professor Cheryl Nickerson points to a photo of a discolored

patch on an otherwise white wall of the International Space Station.

" You can see it looks dingy, a little dirty right there, " she

says. " That's mold. "

Nickerson, a professor in the Biodesign Institute Center for

Infectious Diseases, is studying the effect of spaceflight on

bacteria and disease-causing microorganisms.

Her most recent experiment blasted off in September onboard NASA's

Atlantis space shuttle.

Nickerson sent two types of disease-causing bacteria and a common

fungus called Candida albicans on the mission.

" This study is the first of its kind, " said , an ASU

professor on Nickerson's team. " It helps us to get some critical

information as to crew health safety on flights. "

Now, more than three weeks after Atlantis touched down in Florida,

Nickerson is excited about the results she's observed so far.

" Space flight is actually known to cause key changes to human and

microbial cells that are directly relevant to human disease, " she

said.

While scientists already know spaceflight can have an adverse effect

on human immune systems, they are still investigating how that

happens, Nickerson said.

The microorganisms Nickerson sent to space grew to higher numbers

than they would have on Earth. The fungus cells also changed their

shape and other properties.

Because the study is in its early stages, Nickerson said she

couldn't comment with scientific accuracy on the findings. She said

her team is looking into gene expression changes and whether or not

the microorganisms became more virulent, or potent, due to

spaceflight.

" I can tell you there's a lot of really interesting changes that

spaceflight causes to these cells, " she said. " We don't know yet the

mechanisms by which they are occurring. "

The photo of the mold growing in the International Space Station was

taken in an area where astronauts were exercising. They would hang

their sweaty towels on the wall after exercising, which eventually

led to the mold, Nickerson said.

" Wherever man goes, microbes go, " she said. " They're up there; they

can cause problems. "

In NASA's 1970 Apollo 13 mission, known mainly for its emergency

landing on Earth, one crewmember suffered from a urinary tract

infection caused by the fungus Candida albicans.

Infectious diseases pose a great risk to astronauts, Nickerson said,

because the crew is living in close chambers and recycling their air

and water.

Plus, with international crews, astronauts are carrying microbes

from the flora and fauna of their own native lands, which other

crewmembers may not be accustomed to, she added.

" When you add in the fact that infectious disease is the leading

cause of death on Earth, you start realizing this is a problem we

need to address to ensure health and safety of the crew during

spaceflight, " Nickerson said.

NASA funded the project with a grant in 2001 of just less than $1

million.

Nickerson, who was at Tulane University when she started the

project, said the additional cost to fly the experiment amounted to

about $10,000 per pound, or a total of $40,000.

Nickerson brought the project to ASU in January.

The cost and difficulty of launching a project into space often

conflicts with science's need for repetition, Nickerson said. For

that reason, NASA has developed special culture chambers for

microorganisms that simulate spaceflight conditions. Nickerson uses

those chambers, called bioreactors, in her lab at the Biodesign

Institute.

She said she's looking forward to flying a project again if the

opportunity arises.

Until then, Nickerson and her team are still studying the results

from the Atlantis mission and simulating experiments in the lab.

She hopes the research will lead to breakthroughs not only

benefiting the health of astronauts but of all humans grounded on

Earth as well.

An understanding of how spaceflight affects human immune systems and

disease-causing organisms could lead to innovative new ways of

developing vaccines and treatments for diseases, Nickerson said.

" This study holds real potential to translate to health advantages

for humans here on the ground, " she said.

Reach the reporter at: annalyn.censky@....