NASA, ISRO to study muscle regeneration in space

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will collaborate on a series of scientific investigations aboard Axiom Mission 4 — the fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station — scheduled for launch on June 10.

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One of the key experiments will study muscle regeneration in space. While this phenomenon has been extensively examined by NASA and other space agencies through research involving both humans and animals, the precise reasons why muscle cells fail to repair efficiently in microgravity remain unclear.

Currently, there are no approved drugs or treatments that effectively promote muscle regeneration. During long-duration spaceflights, astronauts experience muscle loss, and the regenerative capacity of their muscle cells declines. Researchers suspect this may be due to microgravity interfering with mitochondrial metabolism — mitochondria being the tiny energy-producing structures within cells.

Findings from this study could help develop interventions to maintain muscle health during extended space missions and in people suffering from age-related muscle loss on Earth.

“The Myogenesis-ISRO investigation uses muscle stem cell cultures to examine the muscle repair process and test chemicals known to support mitochondrial function. Results could lead to interventions that maintain muscle health during long-duration space missions, help people on Earth with age-related muscle loss and muscle-wasting diseases, and assist athletes and people recovering from surgery,” NASA said in a statement.

Twelve samples will be studied. According to NASA, these are human-derived skeletal muscle stem cells. “Their confluence is assessed as they receive different solutions of culture media, and they are returned to Earth for analysis against experimental ground control samples,” NASA added.

Another collaborative experiment will study human interaction with electronic displays in microgravity.

“How spaceflight affects interactions with electronic displays — such as pointing tasks, gaze fixation and rapid eye movements — and how these interactions impact the user’s stress levels or sense of wellbeing? Results could support improved design of control devices for spacecraft and habitats on future space missions, as well as for aviation and other applications on Earth,” NASA said.

Other joint NASA-ISRO experiments include studying the growth of sprouts and edible microalgae, and the survival of tiny aquatic organisms in space.