The Israeli medical experiments satellite DIDO-III was launched

The launch of the satellite, a joint project of the Israel Space Agency in the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Italian Space Agency, was carried out from the European Space Base in Kourou in French Guinea, aboard a Vega type launcher in a unique mission in itself where only tiny satellites were launched and not as hitchhikers on a large satellite launch

After postponements and delays, this morning (Thursday, 3/9/20) the Dido 3 Peruvian experimental satellite of the Israeli company Spice Pharma was launched.

The launch of the satellite, a joint project of Israel Space Agency in the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Italian Space Agency, was carried out from the European Space Base in Kourou in French Guinea, on a Vega-type launcher in a unique mission in itself where only tiny satellites were launched and not as hitchhikers on a large satellite launch.

On the Israeli nano-satellite is a tiny laboratory built by a company Pamera Spice. The laboratory, the size of a milk carton, includes four experiments in the fields of medicine, biology and chemistry that will provide new and ground-breaking information about diseases and their prevention - information that cannot be obtained under the existing gravity conditions on Earth. The miniaturized laboratory, whose temperature can be controlled in space, is operated autonomously. Until now such experiments in zero gravity conditions are performed only on the International Space Station and operated by astronauts. This development by Spice Pharma actually allows any scientist to conduct the experiment in an independent, accessible, safe and fully remote controlled manner, while the researcher is in the laboratory at the university or the hospital.

The experiments were designed by four teams of scientists in the two countries, and each medical experiment is partnered by an Israeli researcher and an Italian researcher. The Israeli institutions participating in the experiments: The Technion with 2 experiments, the Hebrew University and the Sheba Medical Center.

As I recall, in the conversation we had with the CEO of Spice Pharma, Yossi Yamin, prior to one of the launch attempts that was finally rejected, he explained: "The Dido 3 satellite is a self-development of Spice Pharma and is based on a laboratory upgraded from the one we launched three years ago. The laboratory conducts four experiments and also allows some repetition of the experiments. The size of the satellite is 3.5 units, and it has deployable solar collectors. This is in contrast to the previous satellite whose receivers were glued to its sides. This feature will allow it to generate much more electrical power. For the first time in an unmanned satellite a constant temperature is maintained. In this case it is 37 degrees Celsius, simulating the body temperature of a healthy person, which is required for the experiments."
The system keeps the reagents in special cartridges at a unique temperature for each experiment and of course enables remote control of the activation of the event. All the experiments will be carried out from Israel and Italy and the products will be transferred to any scientist who wants it. This way it will be possible for Italians to work from home or from their smart phone and not come to work."

Details of researchers and studies:

1. Prof. Giuseppe Fellini from the Department of Chemistry at the University of Bologna and Prof. Boaz Pokroi From the Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering at the Technion YInvestigate the effectiveness of antibacterial agents in zero gravity conditions. During the experiment, the decomposition of bacteria by an enzyme will be monitored. This study is part of an effort to prevent infections in hospitals and infections carried on different surfaces.
2. Prof. Alessandra DiMazzi from the University of Roma-Terra and Prof. Daniel Kornitzer From the Rapaport Faculty of Medicine at the Technion They will perform an experiment on albumin which is an important protein found in the blood and transports various important molecules such as fatty acids, hormones, drugs and more. An experiment will test how drugs are absorbed by albumin, one of the main proteins in the blood, under conditions of zero gravity.
3. Prof. Alessandro Desideri from the Faculty of Biology at the University of Tor Vergata - Rome and Prof. Itamar Wilner from the Hebrew University They will examine the "folding" phenomenon of DNA molecules. This phenomenon, which is related to the mechanism of cell division and protection of the genetic load from damage, may help in the study of aging processes as well as in the prevention of cancerous processes.
4. Prof. Raffaello Zarilli from the Department of Public Health at Federico II University in Naples and Prof. Ohad Gal-Mor from the medical center "Shiba" Tel ha shomer They will investigate how bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics when they are in zero gravity and in the extreme environment of space. Conjugation is the process of transferring genetic material from bacterium to bacterium and can lead to the acquisition of antibiotic resistance. This experiment may allow the development of new drugs and approaches to prevent the acquisition of antibiotic resistance by bacteria.

The results of the experiments, which should arrive in the coming weeks, will be transmitted to the ground station of the Space-Pharma company located in Switzerland and from there will be transferred to researchers in Israel. The nanosatellite will pass six times a day over the ground station and transmit data to Earth. The data will be analyzed in laboratories in Israel and based on this information commands will be broadcast to continue the experiment in space interactively and in real time. At the same time, the researchers will perform the experiments with an identical system on the ground. The differences between the experiments under the various conditions will provide unique information that may lead to breakthroughs.