GAINESVILLE, Fla. – University of Florida researchers are involved with a unique experiment involving the International Space Station.
Dr. Siobhan Malany with the U.F. College of Pharmacy said the focus of the experiment is to see if a drug compound made from tomatoes can restore age-related muscle loss.
“We’re asking what microgravity does to affect tissue loss or change it and then translate that information to Earth to look at disease progression because if that decline in space happens much faster than what we can uncover, how we can translate that information, is to understand disease progression on Earth so that we can develop therapeutics better and smarter and this will improve humane health on Earth,” she said.
Malany said there are currently no effective drug therapies because molecular changes related to aging can take decades to develop.
Muscle loss in older adults can lead to a dramatic decline in mobility and increase the risk of falls and fractures.
And the flu season shows no signs of slowing down.
The Department of Health and Human Services reports more than 11,000 people were hospitalized for the flu last week.
That’s up from 8,700 a week earlier.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 11-out-of-every 100,000 Americans have been hospitalized with the flu, which is the highest level in a decade.
Medical experts expect a surge in cases after millions of people traveled for Thanksgiving and with Christmas just a few weeks away.