Astronauts have managed to pull off something that hasn’t been done before in space. They have successfully performed an experimental gene-editing procedure. This process focuses on studying DNA repair yeast cells that can be performed in space and can be very vital for the safety of astronauts.
There are many factors that can damage an astronaut’s DNA in space such as ultraviolet rays. Outside Earth’s protective atmosphere, the risk from these rays is even higher due to ionizing radiation (light that removes electrons from atoms).
DNA repair in space could be a game-changer
The new method used aboard the International Space Station uses CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology to determine the damage to DNA precisely. Scientists can then use the data to study the repair mechanism in more detail than it would have been done using radiation, which makes it harder to use in targeted ways.
The new technique tries to find double-strand breaks that are believed to be one of the most dangerous kinds of DNA damage, as they kill cells. The yeast cell experiment marks the first instance where an organism had its genome-edited and then sequenced, all that while in space.
Future studies to be more precise
More such experiments in the future can build on these methods to better repair DNA damage, paving the way for new ways to treat astronauts, as well as learn more about long-term space exposure.
“It’s not just that the team successfully deployed novel technologies like CRISPR genome editing, PCR, and nanopore sequencing in an extreme environment, but also that we were able to integrate them into a functionally complete biotechnology workflow applicable to the study of DNA repair and other fundamental cellular processes in microgravity,” said Sebastian Kraves, senior author of the study. “These developments fill this team with hope in humanity’s renewed quest to explore and inhabit the vast expanse of space.”
NASA also recently sent a few baby Hawaiian bobtail squid to ISS for research. Raised at the University of Hawaii’s Kewalo Marine Laboratory, the squids were sent to space aboard SpaceX rocket with an aim to understand human health during long space missions.
