University of Liverpool team with Space X to send human cells into space
They aim to explore the secrets of ageing
A team of Scientists from the University of Liverpool are sending human cells into space to better understand what happens to our muscles as we get older.
The ÂŁ1.2 million study - called MicroAge - is being launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida to the International Space Station.
Human cells that have been grown by scientists in a lab will be launched in to space, and it's hoped the results of the experiment could help people live longer, healthier lives.
It is estimated that by 2034, 23% of the UK population - estimated to be around 15 million people - will be over 65 years of age. Physical frailty is a major factor affecting the ability of individuals to maintain independence and is primarily due to age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass and function
Astronauts and animals exposed to microgravity also lose skeletal muscle mass and although astronauts routinely undertake aerobic and resistance exercise in space to help ameliorate muscle loss, in an similar way to muscles of older people, this is only partially successful since the muscle responses to exercise are also attenuated in microgravity.
By studying the way that muscle responds to repeated contractions in microgravity the scientists will be able to gain further understanding of the way that muscle fails to respond to exercise in older people and in astronauts in space.
British ESA astronaut Tim Peake said: “It’s exciting to see this cutting-edge research taking place here in the UK. We can learn so much about the human body from spaceflight, especially the ageing process. This research could enable astronauts to carry out longer missions and explore further into space, whilst benefiting everyone on Earth.”