1st Brazilian scientist in space will assess the brain – 7/1/2023 – Science

The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation announced this week that researcher Alysson Muotri, a professor at the University of California at San Diego (UCSD), in the United States, should be the first Brazilian scientist to carry out experiments on the International Space Station (ISS, in English).

The trip is scheduled for November 2024 and, if it goes according to plan, it will make Muotri the third Brazilian to go into space. The first was Marcos Pontes (currently a senator for the PL of São Paulo), in 2016, and the second was engineer Victor Hespanha, last year.

The trip was announced after a meeting between the researcher, Minister Luciana Santos and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) at the Planalto Palace.

A renowned researcher in the field of neuroscience, Muotri studies brain development and has already sent mini-brains —organoids created in laboratories using stem cells— to the ISS three times.

In the most recent mission, in July 2022, mini-brains derived from people with autism were taken, an area of ​​great interest to the Brazilian, who, in addition to his position at UCSD, is the founder of the biotechnology company Tismoo, focused on the health of people with neurological disorders.

The experiments revealed that neuronal cells age faster in space. In a month, they age the equivalent of ten years.

On the 2024 trip, Muotri will have the opportunity to travel to the ISS and analyze in situ the impact of microgravity on mini-brains.

The expectation is that, with a greater understanding of the phenomenon, it will be possible to protect the brains of astronauts on long missions. Another goal with the mini-brains is to investigate new treatment options for diseases like Alzheimer’s.

In addition to the announcement of the trip, a partnership between UCSD and Ufam (Federal University of the Amazon) was disclosed at the meeting to identify, from the Amazonian biodiversity, neuroactive compounds that can be used in the health area.

Expected to last five years, the cooperation also aims to train Brazilian scientists in the production of mini-brains.

“In the laboratory, I receive students from all over Brazil, and now we have signed a partnership with the University of Amazonas. This is a big step towards testing drugs from local biodiversity”, commented Muotri at the meeting in Planalto.

“The speed of technological changes is very great, and we need to insert the country in the most dynamic chains”, said Minister Luciana Santos. “This is a strategic issue for us to tackle one of the most challenging areas, which is neuroscience.”