The effects of space travel on the human body, particularly on the skeletal system, are a critical area of research especially considering NASA’s goals to send humans to the moon again and to Mars (Artemis Accords). As astronauts venture beyond Earth’s atmosphere, they are exposed to microgravity that can result in them losing 1-2% of their bone mass within a month every month, despite implementation of exercise regimes.
To prevent this process, Prof. Premnath is investigating one potential target called p21, a cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor that plays a role in proliferation, apoptosis, and differentiation. Several researchers have demonstrated that microgravity significantly increases p21 expression, which is correlated with bone loss. It is possible to pharmacologically suppress p21 by using inhibitors such as the FDA approved drug Sorafenib. In this work, Prof. Premnath will investigate the global change of gene expression using MSCs in the presence of p21 inhibitors.