Israel's Sheba Medical Center, Tel HaShomer will make history on June 18 as one of the world's first hospitals to launch a bio-medical experiment in space. To help solve the worsening global problem of bacterial resistance to antibiotics, on this space mission Sheba will test its theory that microgravity in space affects antibiotic resistance acquisition by bacteria. The success of this experiment will help to understand the risks of infectious diseases in humans traveling to space and has the potential to find new approaches to fight the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance infections, which are responsible for the death of 700,000 people annually worldwide. The imminent need for an effective solution was made clear in a 2019 United Nations report estimating that globally, 10 million people may lose their lives by 2050 due to infections resistant to antibiotics. Moreover, the reported overuse of antibiotics during the COVID-19 pandemic has further contributed to the mounting resistance to antibiotics on a global scale. This resistance is expected to pose a more daunting threat in the long-run than the coronavirus itself. The future of the pharmaceutical industry could also rest on the success of Sheba's space experiment. This multi-billion-dollar industry is not sustainable long-term if the antibiotics it generates are no longer effective. On June 18 at 9:51PM EST, Arianespace will launch the Flight VV16 mission with Vega launcher's "ride-share" configuration, the Small Spacecraft Mission Service (SSMS) from the Spaceport in French Guiana. The mission will include 53 micro- and nanosatellites for 21 customers spanning Earth observation, telecommunications, science, technology and education.
Sheba's experiment, which will follow after the acquisition of resistance by E. coli bacteria, is facilitated through SpacePharma's microsatellite lab in conjunction with the European Space Agency, Israel Space Agency and Italian Space Agency. Underwriting is provided by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Israel's Ministry of Science and Technology.
According to Prof. Ohad Gal-Mor, Head of the Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory at Sheba Medical Center, Tel HaShomer, data suggest that there is a significant overuse and misuse of antibiotics clinically, and even more so in agriculture. A major concern is the lack of regulation on veterinary and agricultural use of antibiotics. While the problem is more severe in developing countries, it also impacts developed countries.
It is precisely these problems that are the driving force behind Sheba Medical Center's innovative quest to outer space in search of innovative solutions.
"At Sheba Medical Center, we already have preliminary data suggesting that microgravity significantly affects antibiotic resistance acquisition from experiments we performed on the ground using a special device that mimics microgravity conditions to some extent," stated Prof. Gal-Mor.
"Now we are able to repeat these results under 'real' microgravity conditions and see how the conditions in space change this important and universal process. If we understand why microgravity inhibits conjugation, we hope to be able to develop new approaches to prevent this phenomenon in the hospital clinic and beyond."
"From our research, we understand that the most efficient mechanisms of antibiotic resistance acquisition in bacteria are horizontal gene transfer by means of conjugation, i.e. the transfer of resistance plasmids DNA between bacteria (also known as 'bacterial sex')," continued Prof. Gal-Mor.
"In our lab, we aim to understand and identify environmental, physiological and chemical signals controlling this process. In addition to the preliminary data showing that microgravity inhibits this process, we isolated a natural compound, found in the digestive system that also inhibits conjugation. Understanding how microgravity and other environmental conditions affect conjugation will go a long way toward helping us develop new treatments and approaches to reduce antibiotic resistance acquisition by bacteria."
The results of this experiment are not far off. Data will flow during the few weeks-long mission-analysis and conclusions are expected within one to two months. This project is done in collaboration with Prof. Raffaele Zarrilli and the graduate student Eliana Pia Esposito from the University "Federico II" of Napoli and Bar Piscon and Prof. Galia Rahav from the Sheba group.
According to Prof. Ohad Gal-Mor, Head of the Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory at Sheba Medical Center, Tel HaShomer, data suggest that there is a significant overuse and misuse of antibiotics clinically, and even more so in agriculture. A major concern is the lack of regulation on veterinary and agricultural use of antibiotics. While the problem is more severe in developing countries, it also impacts developed countries.
It is precisely these problems that are the driving force behind Sheba Medical Center's innovative quest to outer space in search of innovative solutions.
"At Sheba Medical Center, we already have preliminary data suggesting that microgravity significantly affects antibiotic resistance acquisition from experiments we performed on the ground using a special device that mimics microgravity conditions to some extent," stated Prof. Gal-Mor.
"Now we are able to repeat these results under 'real' microgravity conditions and see how the conditions in space change this important and universal process. If we understand why microgravity inhibits conjugation, we hope to be able to develop new approaches to prevent this phenomenon in the hospital clinic and beyond."
"From our research, we understand that the most efficient mechanisms of antibiotic resistance acquisition in bacteria are horizontal gene transfer by means of conjugation, i.e. the transfer of resistance plasmids DNA between bacteria (also known as 'bacterial sex')," continued Prof. Gal-Mor.
"In our lab, we aim to understand and identify environmental, physiological and chemical signals controlling this process. In addition to the preliminary data showing that microgravity inhibits this process, we isolated a natural compound, found in the digestive system that also inhibits conjugation. Understanding how microgravity and other environmental conditions affect conjugation will go a long way toward helping us develop new treatments and approaches to reduce antibiotic resistance acquisition by bacteria."
The results of this experiment are not far off. Data will flow during the few weeks-long mission-analysis and conclusions are expected within one to two months. This project is done in collaboration with Prof. Raffaele Zarrilli and the graduate student Eliana Pia Esposito from the University "Federico II" of Napoli and Bar Piscon and Prof. Galia Rahav from the Sheba group.
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