How does being in space affect an organism? At the cellular and biochemical level? Omics techniques have revolutionized molecular biology, permitting detailed snapshots of an organism’s cellular activity in different environments or over periods of time. Thousands of data points can be collected at a time, using blood samples or easy-to-collect samples like urine or saliva. Omics techniques enable statistically powerful low “n” studies which are perfect for space research, given the fact that there are only a few people or animals on each space mission. The first space examination of genes, gene products (enzymes and other proteins), and products of enzymatic reactions (metabolites) have already started to provide important and sometimes surprising results.
This intensive 2-week course will permit students to access and analyze omics data from NASA’s GeneLab: genomic, proteomic and metabolic data from animal and plant studies conducted in space or Earth-based space analogs. Student groups will formulate an hypothesis and conduct their own analysis to determine changes in gene expression. Faculty will guide the students through the processes of experimental design, data analysis, interpretation of results, and communication of findings. This first of its kind course was initially developed with the help of ESA funding and will be offered again April 24 – May 5, 2023, at ISU’s campus in Strasbourg France.
