Venue: Centre Paul Pascal, 115 Av. Schweitzer, 33600 Pessac / Amphitheatre
Dr. Christian Liemersdorf.
Head of Applied Aerospace Biology
German Aerospace Center Institute of Aerospace Medicine (DLR)
Invited by Laura Alvarez – CRPP (Centre de Recherche Paul Pascal)
https://www.crpp.cnrs.fr/laura-alvarez/
Title
Space Neurobiology – Altered Gravity as a novel Approach to develop Therapies for Depressive Disorders
Abstract
Human space travel evolved rapidly in recent years. While activities on ISS successfully continue, human exploration missions are destined to the Moon and beyond. Commercial consortia heavily invest in future habitable space stations creating an economy in low Earth orbit, which poses chances for material sciences and biomedical research and development. However, the harsh space environment, particularly altered gravity and atmosphere conditions, increased radiation, isolation and confinement, and scarce resources, challenges human health, performance, and safety. We conduct research in space medicine, psychology, and biology to overcome these challenges and to enable safe and sustainable human space missions in close collaboration with agencies, academia, and industry. Microgravity-induced health issues are transferred to the cellular level to identify underlying mechanisms. To alter the impact of gravity, we develop gravity-research platforms and hardware and validate them under real microgravity conditions. Strong focus lies on neuronal signal transmission changes in a gravity-dependent manner, influencing human cognitive and motor performance. Here, we test pharmacological treatments to enhance neuronal plasticity without adverse side effects that could be beneficial for both astronauts and patients on Earth suffering e.g. from depression disorders.
Our studies demonstrate that altered gravity influences the structure and functions of cells and bear a high potential for the design of preventive and therapeutic strategies and biotechnological applications. Technical implementation of the Microelectrode array (MEA) technology enabled us to elucidate gravity-dependent activity changes and adaptation capacities of isolated human iPSC-derived neuronal networks. Pharmacological countermeasures have been established in vitro using ketamine-derivatives. These derivatives have been shown to enhance neuronal plasticity superior than the base compound (ketamine) without exhibiting cytotoxic side effects. Potential pharmacological interventions are based on the development of novel ketamine-derivatives that enhance neuronal plasticity about 20-50 times better than ketamine itself.