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Research
Preventing osteoporosis
by focusing on the stars
 A
Clemson University researcher looks to astronauts in space to help
prevent osteoporosis here on earth. The National Space Biomedical
Research Institute has announced that Clemson University professor
of bioengineering Ted Bateman will receive $725,000 to study bone
loss in astronauts.
The
skeletal system is dynamic, constantly restoring old, damaged bone
with newer bone. Osteoporosis develops when the restoration process
breaks down. Gravity and weight-bearing exercise affects bone usage,
which alters bone removal and replacement rates.
Astronauts lose around 10 percent of their bone mass on a typical
six- to nine-month space station mission. This accelerated rate
of loss is an obstacle to long-term space missions, such as moon
exploration and a two-and-a-half-year roundtrip to Mars.
In
order to maintain health, astronauts need a treatment that will
prevent bone loss in space and accelerate recovery afterwards. Recovery
of bone mass takes two to three times as long as the length of the
spaceflight, putting astronauts at greater risk for osteoporotic
fractures. Bateman’s team is looking for a way to prevent
bone loss with a natural protein called osteoprotegerin, and to
stimulate the formation of bone post-flight. The biotechnology company
Amgen Inc., in Thousand Oaks, Calif., is providing the protein.
“We’re
addressing astronaut health, but this research will ultimately impact
millions of people here on Earth -- people who are bedridden, who
have osteoporosis and paralysis,” Bateman said.
An estimated 10 million people have osteoporosis, and another 34
million are at risk of developing the disease.
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