The University of Minnesota's Center for Magnetic Resonance Research sent bone cells to the International Space Station Monday to learn more about gravity's effect on bone mass.
Bruce Hammer, PhD, principal investigator at Minneapolis-based CMRR, and his team of researchers grew the bone cells and tested them with a magnetic levitation device that mimics the effects of space microgravity, or weightlessness.
Astronauts lose bone mass in space at a rate faster than individuals suffering from bone diseases like osteoporosis. Dr. Hammer believes studying the process of how this mass is lost could guide the development of new bone disease treatments.
The bone cells are being sent to the ISS to study whether the magnetic levitation device has the same effects on bone cells as space's low-gravity environment.
"If we can demonstrate that magnetic levitation mimics microgravity, we then have a tool to do space biology on earth," said Dr. Hammer. "This has implications for developing the next generation of drugs to remediate osteoporosis."
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