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Overview
With long term space travel, it is becoming increasingly important to understand how space and microgravity exposure impacts the short and long-term health of astronauts, as well as biochemical processes. This experiment aims to investigate the role of spaceflight on aging and chronic diseases like cancer, specifically by focusing on a molecule called telomerase. Telomerase is a protein that maintains the integrity of our genetic material when cells divide. An understanding of telomerase function in space can be applied to the development of drug therapies and treatments for a variety of health conditions and better prepare astronauts for extended missions to space. We are passionate and intrigued by this protein and need your help to make this research project happen! Although we already have secured our experiment flight to space, we need funds to cover analysis costs and the costs to present our findings at a conference.
Our Project
As finalists of the UMD Student Spaceflight Experiments Program Mission 17, we have a guaranteed flight to send our experiment to the International Space Station (ISS). We will be studying the effects of the microgravity environment on telomerase, an enzyme that is associated with maintaining chromosomal integrity during cell division.
Our experiment involves sending a multi-chamber silicone tube, termed a Fluid Mixing Enclosure (or FME), which will contain freeze-dried Saccharomyces cerevisiae (yeast) to space. Yeast is a eukaryotic organism, like humans, making it an ideal model organism. The yeast will be rehydrated in space, enabling it to grow and reproduce. Telomerase is active during growth and replication which will allow us to characterize its activity in microgravity. After the yeast has completed growing, it will be preserved in a specialized media until it is returned to Earth.
Although the costs associated with space travel have been covered, we need your help to complete our analysis of the samples that will be returned from space. By donating to our campaign, you will be able to help cover the costs of the RNA sequencing and differential expression analysis. RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) will allow us to identify genes that have been differentially upregulated or downregulated in microgravity compared to our control sample on Earth, including those related to telomerase. The amount of data produced by RNA-seq is unparalleled compared to other methods of analysis and will allow us to analyze the yeast transcriptome in finer detail.
Gifts in support of the University of Maryland are accepted and managed by the University of Maryland College Park Foundation, Inc., an affiliated 501(c)(3) organization authorized by the Board of Regents. Contributions to the University of Maryland are tax deductible as allowed by law. Please see your tax advisor for details.
Your donation will help fund shippings costs of our experiment from College Park, Maryland to Houston, Texas where our experiment will be launched to the International Space Station.
Your donation will help fund the RNA extraction of our yeast samples.
Your donation will help fund the process to fully analyze our data.
Your donation will help fund RNA sequencing for HALF of the samples.
Your donation will help ONE team member attend a conference to present our results (e.g. Annual International Space Station Research and Development Conference).
Your donation will help fund RNA sequencing for ALL samples.