(An Iowa News Service report) – Kinesiology researchers in Iowa are studying the effects of space travel on astronaut muscle atrophy and using that knowledge to treat neuromuscular diseases back at home. Despite taking measure to counteract atrophy, and astronaut can lose as much as 20-percent of their muscle mass on
short spaceflights, and as much as 50-percent on longer missions.
Iowa State University kinesiologist Khaled Kamal says even after just a relatively short time in space, some astronauts report being unable to even hold a fork for two weeks. His research studies “extracellular vesicles” for clues – clusters of cellular particles that carry “cargo” to various parts of the body. His work will protect
astronauts against spaceflight weakness in the future.
Kamal’s research is also studying bone density depletion during spaceflight. He aims to work with
NASA to implement the findings on future missions to the Moon, and eventually Mars. Kamal says beyond helping equip future astronauts to stave off spaceflight weakness, his findings are also being put to work targeting debilitating neuromuscular diseases on Earth.
Echoing the words of Neil Armstrong, the first human to set foot on the moon, Kamal’s lab is
studying 20 years worth of blood samples from 42 astronauts to take “one small step for man, one
giant leap for mankind.”
