NASA Projects
NASA Bedrest Study
This collaborative study, conducted in partnership with multiple research centers and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), focuses on addressing the challenges of muscle atrophy and sensorimotor decline during space travel, simulated through the use of head-down bed rest. The goal is to evaluate various countermeasures that can preserve muscle health and function, which is critical for astronauts.
Our lab's role in this research is to evaluate the effectiveness of electrical muscle stimulation as a means to preserve muscle health and function. We will also employ advanced techniques, including electrical impedance myography and ultrasound imaging, to assess muscle condition and integrity. The findings from this study are expected to contribute to the development of strategies aimed at protecting astronaut health during and after spaceflight.
Lunar Living
With renewed interest in missions to the moon and the goal for astronauts to inhabit a lunar base in the future, it’s imperative that the physiological impacts of living on the moon be fully explored. The “Lunar Living” study aims to investigate the acute and long term combined effects of partial gravity and space radiation here on Earth with the help of our friendly rat astronaut subjects.
To replicate partial gravity, our teams employs a rat analog model of partial weight bearing that has been validated to simulate muscle disuse experienced by astronauts on the moon (see photo below). In collaboration with the Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) and NASA Space Radiation Laboratory, the animals receive a one-time dose of radiation proportionate to the duration of their time in space. The long term cohort is returned to full weight bearing for their stay at Beth Israel during which their recovery from the weeks in “space flight” is monitored.
We are excited to announce that the first Lunar Living campaign has been completed as of August 2024 and we are looking forward to continuing with the male cohort in Spring 2025.
Partial weight bearing model in rats:
