Sometimes it may seem that studies conducted in space are very far away. And maybe physically. A International Space Station This is 400 kilometers above our heads. But their applications are not always so far away, because many experiments conducted in space are aimed at improving the lives of people here on Earth. A good example of this is an example of scientists who work on development Chemotherapeutic drugs This can be introduced using a simple injection, and not with a tedious drop that has patients to be subjected to several hours.
If this has not been done so far, it was mainly because in order to introduce them into the injection, it is necessary Crystallize proteins which are used. When performing on Earth, this crystallization process leads to very heterogeneous crystals with different sizes, which complicates Calculation of the correct doseInstead, the field was visible that in conditions Microgravity Ideal and identical crystals are obtained.
These and other characteristics of space are those that led to the fact that veteran companies such as Merck or new, such as Bioorbit, to transfer some of their projects to space. Unfortunately, this is a slow process, so there are several more years left for these chemotherapeutic drugs enter into one injectionThe field is positive that the countdown has begun, because many scientists are already working correctly. The path that requires traveling outside our planet.
Why is it necessary to crystallize chemotherapeutic drugs?
In fact, chemotherapy can be administered orally, in tablets or intramuscular, with injections. However, the most common is to do this for intravenously, Since this provides better dose adjustment and the best access to blood flow, so that the medicine extends quickly until it reaches its destination.
The problem is that this requires use Bowling drugs which are produced by dripping, like any other medicine intravenously. To use the same chemotherapeutic drugs, with the same qualities, in one injection it would be necessary Increase protein concentrationSo the mixture will be obtained so dense that it could not flow correctly. The ideal in these cases will be crystallized by the proteins that are introduced because they increase concentration, but reduce the volume. Nevertheless, this is impossible for the fact that we have already advanced. Unified crystals cannot be made.
From space to earth
The forces of the gravity that we experience on Earth is that, in addition to other factors, they do not allow crystals evenly. The result is something like snowflakes that consist of crystals and, if we see them on a microscope, they are all different. In your case, this is also due to Humidity and temperatureBut even if these parameters are controlled, it is impossible to get identical crystals.
On the other hand, in some pilot experiments that were conducted at the International Space Station, it was already noticed that it really can be obtained there Equal crystalsThis would allow the development of chemotherapeutic drugs Perfectly injected in adequate concentrations. Often, there are already several pharmaceutical companies that are asking to send their scientists to the International Space Station to perform the relevant tests.
The importance of studying cancer in space
Chemotherapy is not the only problem associated with cancer that can be studied in space. The development of the disease can be analyzed there in conditions that are impossible on Earth.
For example, it is known that cells They get old faster in spaceTo make it easier and faster to analyze all those mutations that ultimately call cancer. In addition, in the absence of gravity of the cell They do not uniteTherefore, it is much easier to study their structures separately. The cultivation of tumor cells in space can give scientists a lot of interesting data.
And, as we have already seen at the beginning, the science made in space is much closer than it might seem. Their statements are influenced by all of us who continue here with our feet on Earth.
Source: Hiper Textual
