His students are taking cells and adding extra copies of p53, a gene involved in preventing cancer that’s known as the “protector of the genome.” Elephants have many extra copies of p53 and hardly ever get cancer, so maybe astronauts should have them too. So he’s working on radiation-proofing human cells. Space is full of rays and fast-moving particles that damage DNA. Yet Mason says his lab is ready to take an initial step. So far, that’s about as close as NASA has gotten to the subject of GM astronauts-one that still hasn’t been broached in any official agency document. His lab participates in NASA’s Twins Study, which is tracking physiological changes to an astronaut who was sent to the International Space Station for a year while his twin brother stayed on Earth. ![]() Mason says there’s a decade or two of work left just to find out what effect space travel has on your genes, and which ones might be okay to change and which should be on a “do not disturb” list. “We don’t know if it’s a slight nudge to existing gene expression, or a whole new chromosome, or finally a complete rewriting of the genetic code.” “I think we have to consider it for people that we send to other planets,” he says. In it, genetic modification plays a big role. In 2011, Mason came up with what he called a “ 500-year plan” to get humans off Earth. Genes in Space accepts applications between January and April each year. The contest is a collaboration between miniPCR Bio™ and ISS prime contractor Boeing, with generous support from CASIS (manager of the ISS National Lab), Math for America, and New England Biolabs®.One person looking at the idea is Christopher Mason, a member of the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at Weill Cornell Medicine. Genes in Space is a national STEM contest that challenges students in grades 7 through 12 to design DNA analysis experiments using the ISS National Lab, a platform for cutting-edge research and technology development that enables future space exploration. The winners will build on work completed over five previous Genes in Space missions, which have helped strengthen the ISS’s molecular biology capabilities. Vijayakumar, Sung, Li and Li were mentored by their teachers Kaarin Schumacher of Woodbury High School and Aaron Ogdahl of Mounds View High School, as well as scientists Kutay Deniz Atabay and Guy Bushkin of the Whitehead Institute. The experiment was developed by the students in collaboration with Genes in Space and NASA microbiologists Sarah Stahl and Sarah Wallace. It will also enable the use of gene editing tools in space for the first time. ![]() ![]() This experiment may provide insights on how cells repair their DNA in space, which could lead to better protection for astronauts’ genomes. Double-strand breaks are readily repaired by cells, but incorrect repair causes DNA mutations that may result in diseases such as cancer.Īn astronaut on ISS will use the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing tool in space for the first time to create targeted double-strand breaks in a yeast genome, which will then repair itself. Next, polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing will be used on the ISS to examine the repaired break sites for mutations caused by DNA repair. Astronauts traveling beyond Earth’s protection are at serious risk of DNA damage from cosmic rays, including risk of double-strand breaks - a particularly harmful type of DNA lesion. On Earth, DNA is shielded from radiation damage by the protective effects of the atmosphere and magnetic field. Vijayakumar, Sung, Li and Li’s study will investigate the mechanisms of DNA repair in space.
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