A research team from Showa University and other institutions has concluded a joint research agreement with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency to start space medical science research! Showa University

A project proposed by Associate Professor Masahiro Chatani (Department of Dental Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, School of Dentistry) at Showa University (Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, Chairman: Masa Hisamitsu) was announced on April 4 as part of the JAXA Dental Institute. Front Loading Research for Aeronautics and Astronautics 2024 is approved (*1). In response, a research team from Showa University and other institutions began research in space medical science (*2) to elucidate the effects of gravity and cosmic radiation on life and apply them to medicine, with the goal of conducting experiments in space. environment. The results obtained from this research are expected to contribute to the management of human health as they venture into space and discover new principles of life.

【background】
On January 30, 2020, in his political speech, Prime Minister Kishida mentioned the Artemis (*3) space project and stated that Japan aims to become the first Japanese to land on the moon by the late 2020s. This is expected to significantly advance space research and development in Japan.
Gravity and cosmic radiation are known to affect living organisms in outer space, and advances in space medicine are important. Space experiments to obtain scientific data are important for this purpose. The International Space Station (*4) has been used so far, and the Lunar Orbiter Gateway (*5) currently under development will also be used in the future and is expected to play an important role in space research.
This time, Associate Professor Masahiro Chatani and colleagues from Showa University proposed a new space medical science research topic with space experiments as one of its goals, and it was selected for the 2024 JAXA Institute of Astronautics and Astronautics front-loading research.

[ملخص البحث المقترح]In the microgravity environment of space, effects such as decreased bone and muscle mass occur, and factors such as gravity are important for maintaining this balance. However, how organisms sense and respond to changes in gravity, i.e. the gravitational stress response mechanism, is not well understood. This is arguably one of the important issues that humans must solve as they seek to advance into space.
In this research, we will use a microgravity generator (*6) and a weighted force generator (*7) to apply gravity fluctuations to living organisms such as transgenic mice, thus elucidating the mechanism of organisms' response to gravity that we are aiming for, elucidating this at the molecular level and linking it to experiments on the space station. In the future. The results obtained from this research are expected to contribute to the management of human health as they venture into space and discover new principles of life.

[تعليق من الأستاذ المشارك ماساهيرو تشاتاني من جامعة شوا]
I am honored and excited to be selected to participate in the 2024 Front Loading Research from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and to begin research with a new team. We aim to be a research team that combines life sciences research and medical research with space in mind, and with this in mind, we have conceived the field of space medical science research. Life on Earth has always had a gravity sensor that senses and responds to gravity. I hope to come up with as many results as possible that can contribute to the coming space age and stimulate space medical science research. We want to develop our research from diverse perspectives, so if you are interested in this research, please contact us using the contact information below.

[شرح المصطلح]*1: Front loading search
Research aimed at conducting experiments in the space environment supported by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Sciences of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

※2: Space medical research
The research aimed to analyze the effects of gravity and cosmic radiation on life and apply them to medicine in order to clarify the relationship between the universe and life. A field of research championed and promoted by Showa University Associate Professor Masahiro Chatani and others.

*3: Artemis' plan
A manned spaceflight program funded by the United States federal government. The original plan was to land “the first woman and next man” on the moon by 2024.

*4: International Space Station
A space station orbiting the Earth, built through multinational cooperation, where scientific experiments and research on living and working in space are conducted. It is jointly operated by space agencies from different countries and contributes to the development of space exploration and technology.

*5: Lunar orbit platform portal
A manned space station proposed to be built in orbit around the moon by several countries.

※6: Microgravity device simulation
By rotating the sample in three dimensions, this culture device can distribute gravity evenly and create an environment in which the sum of the gravity vectors over a given time period is zero.

*7: Weighted force generator
A device that uses centrifugal force to create an environment that applies hypergravity to the sample.

[محتويات المنحة البحثية]・Name: JAXA Institute for Space Research and Astronautical Sciences
・Researcher Actor: Masahiro Chatani
・Project title: Identification of biomolecules that respond to changes in gravity and their functions
・Allocation amount for fiscal year 2024: 8,700,000 yen
・Research period: within 3 years

[أعضاء فريق البحث]・Showa University: Associate Professor Masahiro Chatani, Professor Masamichi Takami, Professor Yuichi Miyamoto, Professor Nobuhiro Sakai, Lecturer Akiko Karagawa, Assistant Professor Yuki Taketsu, Assistant Professor Yusuke Modo, Assistant Professor Kyoto Sasa, Assistant Professor Ryota Nakano, Special Researcher Natsuhiro Takahashi ( DC2)
・Kyoto University: Associate Professor Shinji Maekawa
・Gifu University: Associate Professor Riki Abe
・Tokyo Institute of Technology: Professor Emeritus Akira Kudo
・JAXA: Associate Professor Hirofumi Hashimoto

▼ Contact us to inquire about this matter
Showa University School of Dentistry, Department of Dental Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Science Research Center
Masahiro Chatani
Tel: 03-3784-8175
Email: [email protected]

▼ Source of this version
Showa University Educational Institution Public Affairs Department Public Affairs Department University Public Relations Department
Tel: 03-3784-8059
Email: [email protected]

[مصدر الإصدار]University press center https://www.u-presscenter.jp/