Studying Strengthening of Cell Cytoskeleton and Drug Effectiveness in Hypergravity
On July 14th 2021 a team of students from the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies began their hypergravity research campaign at ESA’s Large Diameter Centrifuge (LDC) at ESTEC, and on July 16th the experiment was successfully completed.
The LDC boasts a diameter of 8 m and is capable of simulating hypergravity environments from 1 to 20g due to the centrifugal forces. The LDC provides a scientific platform for scientists to examine relationships between varying levels of gravity and their experimental results. This can be paired with microgravity research to explore a broader spectrum of gravitational effects.
The Effect of Hypergravity on Tau Function or TOFU team began developing their experiment in October of 2019. Originally planned to take place in the fall of 2020, the experiment was delayed due to the pandemic. Over the course of the Spin Your Thesis! (SYT) programme the team learned how to design, build, and operate an experiment within an ESA facility. Furthermore, the team performed the coordination, logistics, and project management required to perform their experiment effectively. The culmination of these aspects results in an extraordinary learning experiences for the students involved.
The team composed of three Italian students at PhD and master’s level at the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies. The team explored the effects of hypergravity on the localization of tau proteins within neuronal cells. The specific protein in question is associated with cellular microtubules and can be used as an indicator for the health of these microtubule structures. The team hopes to find a correlation between gravity and the localization and clustering of these proteins, and to investigate whether there is a possible connection of a synergistic effect of hypergravity and specific drugs in tau localization.
With the campaign complete, the team passes a monumental milestone and the team is excited. "Spin Your Thesis is an intense experience that enriches you not only from a scientific point of view but also at personal level. It was great to meet different ways of working and thinking. Moreover, thanks to ESTEC researchers’ assistance and availability, it was possible to have a 360-degree view of gravity and its effects!" said Gemma Sardelli. However, there is still a lot of work to be done. The data collected during the hypergravity experiment need to be analysed and documented.
The employees working at the LDC and at ESA Academy enjoy working with the students, and watching their projects grow from initial designs through to completion, and publication. “Every year, Spin Your Thesis! brings new students who are so eager to perform top quality science on this centrifuge, said Nigel Savage, Programme Coordinator for university student experiments. “Their boundless enthusiasm is contagious, and we do everything to help them achieve their goals. We are confident that their first ‘professional’ encounter was positive for them and that they will pursue their career in gravity related research.”
With TOFU wrapping up their experiment over the next few months, the SYT! 2020 campaign comes to a close. Stay tuned for the SYT! 2021 teams, who will be performing their investigations at the LDC this fall.
If you have an experiment you would like to perform in hypergravity as part of a SYT campaign click here. Or what else ESA Academy has to offer click here.