Interstellar Israeli pride: A study conducted by Menhariya High School students as part of the Ramon SpaceLab program with researchers from the University of Haifa on the development of degenerative diseases in space was published in the leading journal in its field. This is the first time that it is published in a research scientific journal in which high school students, researchers, and the Ramon Foundation are partners

Young Israeli pride in the skies: Outstanding high school students from the Shakhakim School in Nahariya, as part of the Ramon SpaceLab program on behalf of the Ramon Foundation, developed a unique experimental system designed to study the impact of space travel on degenerative diseases of the nervous system, tested it on the International Space Station, and have now published, together with researchers from the University of Haifa and Oranim College, the findings in the leading journal in the field of space biology research, Astrobiology. "The very fact that high school students, most of whom are currently soldiers in the army, are partners in publishing an article in a scientific journal, one of the leaders in its field, is an impressive and extraordinary achievement and is completely uncommon among the scientific community. I have every hope that in the future we will be able to conduct follow-up research both in space and on Earth in collaboration with young researchers," said Dr. Amir Sapir, the scientist who led the study from the Department of Biology and Environment at the University of Haifa-Oranim Campus.
The beginning of the scientific journey of Kasina Onger, Yair Barak, Amit Yuval, Lia Stekolshik, Linoi Ego, and Yana Aydinov began about 4 years ago, when, led by their teacher, Tatiana Itkin, they participated as ninth graders in a competition to launch a scientific experiment to the International Space Station, As part of the Ramon SpaceLab program, this program is inspired by the astronaut Ilan Ramon who performed experiments on the Columbia shuttle while he was in space. The program allows students from all over the country a unique opportunity to send an experiment to the International Space Station in order to inspire the students to realize their scientific and social dreams Sapir and Prof. Yoram Gershman and which was selected from about 30 proposals by senior Israeli space industry leaders, leading researchers In the field, and NASA astronauts and scientists had to use a species of worms (nematodes) named C. elegans. To monitor the effects of space travel on neurodegenerative diseases of the nervous system, such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's. The uniqueness of nematodes is that they are transparent, so the development of these diseases in nematodes can be followed relatively easily. The research system developed by the students was based on another unique biological feature of the nematodes, which allows them to live for about six months without food, a situation that simulates, for example, waiting to be launched into space.
Degenerative diseases of the nervous system (neurodegenerative diseases) are caused by deposition processes of protein bodies which cause the death of nerve cells and ultimately the death of the patient. According to the researchers, aging is a major risk factor for the outbreak of such diseases, and the expected increase in life expectancy in the 21st century means that such incurable diseases may become more common.
As part of the experiment, the students and researchers examined the development of the deposition of protein bodies in the body of nematodes that were genetically engineered to develop a degenerative disease similar to Huntington's disease - on Earth and in those sent into space. The use of nematodes made it possible to develop a remote control system for the stages of the experiment and to monitor the development of the disease while receiving real-time updates from the astronauts on the space station, and synchronizing them with the tests in Dr. Sapir's laboratory.
As mentioned, the fascinating journey ended a few weeks ago, when the results of the study were published in the journal Astrobiology, with the students and Dr. Sapir also signing the article, along with Prof. Yoram Gershman from Oranim College and the Institute for Evolution at the University of Haifa, and Tatiana Itkin, who leads the educational/scientific part of the study. The results show that a clear difference was found between the nematodes that spent time in space and those that remained in Israel in the disease development model. "Although it is difficult to determine whether the differences stem from changes in the development or structure of the nematodes or from the living conditions in space, the results of the study provide proof of the feasibility of using C. elegans nematodes for future studies. In addition, the experiment was conducted once, due to the very expensive cost of shipping it to space, so additional repetitions are needed to confirm or reject the hypothesis of a connection between the development of neurodegenerative diseases and life in space," said Prof. Gershman.
"If in the future it turns out that life in space does indeed increase the incidence of degenerative diseases, this will have far-reaching consequences for missions in space, especially those that require long-term missions. On the other hand, if the stay prevents the appearance of these diseases, an opening may be opened for innovative treatment of diseases, for example by Healing tourism to space", concluded Tatiana Itkin.