NASA -- The Space agency is made up of a number of excellent scientists who are out there to explore the vast universe that we are a part of. It is not just about knowing what is out there but also understanding of how these space elements affect life on earth.
Health researchers, on the other hand, have spent years trying to understand Parkinson's disease hoping to find a cure for it. A great number of people all over the world are suffering from it. And while doctors and scientists have an understanding of what causes the symptoms of this disease, fighting back has always been rather challenging. Today, astronauts who are scientists themselves are trying to do what they can to help while aboard the International Space Station.
In an image released by NASA, astronauts were seen to be doing extensive research while in outer space. It shows several projects that they have worked so far to help find a cure for Parkinson's. The video they released truly gives us an idea of what work has been done so far.
Serena Aunon, the NASA Chancellor, explains in the video that they are studying the protein crystals that are seen growing rapidly among patients with Parkinson's disease. By learning more about how these protein crystals grow, they would be able to find a way to inhibit their growth. Studying these protein crystals make it easier if it were done in space because the absence of a strong gravitational pull allows these crystals to grow bigger in size.
When these crystals are bigger in size, they reveal the intricate structure in it making it even more possible to understand how they are structured from the inside. This is the key to discovering the many ways that their growth in patients can be inhibited.
"The LRRK2 crystals is impossible to grow on Earth. When it's too small, it becomes impossible to determine the innate structure of each crystal to allow scientists to understand how it works," NASA explains in a published blog post. "These protein crystals grow larger and more uniformly in space. When scientists have a better idea of its internal structure, it is easy for them to get a better idea of how they could inhibit it. From there, they can create a drug that will make it happen. The key is to develop a drug that could cure Parkinson's disease with very little to no side effects at all."
What is even more amazing about these crystals being studied in the International Space Station is the fact that technology allows scientists on earth to witness it in real time. A feed makes it possible for the two groups of scientists to coordinate all the time. The technology may have minimal delays, but it makes it possible for scientists on Earth to study the materials they have in space for a better understanding of how a drug can be developed to help fight the symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
