Because people need antibiotics, some scientists

Test tubes

bacteria produce more antibiotics in space than on Earth. Researchers

do not know why ... but they want to know. Hear the story

help either. March 29, 2002:

bacteria get no respect. People wash their hands with antibacterial soap.

Most Popular nickname for bacteria "errors."

And by the way, do not touch that doorknob! However, bacteria are not always bad. They not only cause disease, they help treat: antibiotics

ear prescribed for your child, for example, were the most

only collects the most germs. Right: microbiologist using

microscopic study of bacteria cultured in a petri dish. Because people need antibiotics, some scientists

working hard - not to kill, but also nurture bacteria. A good place to do it, it seems, in space. Researchers first

noticed in 1968 that microbes cultured board Biosatellite

NASA II was better than it did on Earth. In this regard, there is a natural question: >> <<: If microbes grow better in space, they will produce more

antibiotics and there? Yes - under certain conditions. Experiments support Bristol-Myers Squibb

in the middle of the 1990s have shown that microbes grown in test tubes

or to gas bags on board the space shuttle carried

more antibiotics than bacteria on earth. In one case >> << improve it as much as 200%. Antibiotic production

important part of the pharmaceutical industry on Earth, so

This result drew the attention of scientists and business people

. Is it time to move antibiotic

plants in space? Not yet. Complex bio-reactors on Earth so far

give more antibiotics than simple tubes or bags do in orbit. The cost of space - for now - as a laboratory. Ongoing research supported

BioServe Space Technology, NASA Commercial Space strattera cost Center (CSC)

at the University of Colorado, industry partner Bristol-Myers Squibb

, NASA and product development programs. Their goal

simple: find out why bacteria make antibiotics more than orbit >> << and apply these findings to increase productivity on Earth. Below:

to gas bag full of space grown colonies of bacteria (right) together with concerted

reference (left). Production of antibiotics aktynomitsyn

D was 75% more than in 0-g package, which flew on Space Shuttle

mission STS-95 in 1998. Credit: Technology BioServe space. It is possible that

increase is simply due to how the microgravity

of the fluid surrounding the bacteria, says BioServe

Associate Director David Klaus, who jointly heads the study. On Earth, gravity causes fluid -

, is average - circulate. The hardest fall and liquids

light up. On Wednesday, cells and molecules >> << they produce mix and move. "But in the zero gravity environment,"

indicates Claus, "there is no convection, or buoyancy

or deposition." Less mixing is usually caused by

these factors may change the metabolic activity of these single-celled creatures.

For example, when bacteria enter

in the new environment, they begin to multiply at once. First, they must "state" itself and its environment. This is the reason that you can leave food for a while before it starts >> << deteriorate. Researchers believe that bacteria produce

vitamins, enzymes and other "cofactor" inside >> << or around the cell. The cells begin to proliferate only when enough

these substances accumulated. In microgravity, the bacteria seem able >> << to this environment and start to grow before they can

on earth - perhaps because of reduced mixing. If the center

allocates a certain type of molecules, these molecules remain

closer, and their concentration increases faster. The same >> << kinds of changes, Klaus suggests, you can expect to increase production >> << antibiotics. In fact, no one knows exactly why microbes

production of antibiotics in general. One possibility is that antibiotics

produced in response to stress. In space, says Klaus, stress

, which causes the production of antibiotics, may simply result

altered environment around the cell - as building

neighboring waste. Or, >> << overproduction may reflect some unknown change in the same cell. Future experiments at the International

Space Station (ISS) will help solve the puzzle. Engineers

BioServe developed a system known as

: some of orbital bioreactor instrumentation

and automated sampling. MOBIAS, explains Klaus, provides bacteria

about the same environment, whether they are in space or on earth

. Instead of requiring the severity mix

gases and nutrients, MOBIAS depends on diffusion. Diffusion

mixing caused by random thermal motion of molecules

happens both on Earth and in space. Above: photos. Credit: BioServe Space

technologies. To achieve its goal, MOBIAS

growing microbes in long, thin to gas bags. The liquid medium

stored in tight layers - as well as sandwich filling - so that

only diffusion and sometimes a small injection of additional fluid

cells provide nutrients and gas they need. Of course, space and terrestrial systems

is not so. In the 1-h, the cells still eventually

at the bottom of the container. But, according to Klaus, >> << difference should be minimal, as in this case the bottom is not very far from

top! And, he adds, the Earth's gravity will still pull the same

-- cells. This is good because it is one

-- because they are trying to isolate. MOBIAS planned to launch

April 4, 2002 in commercial Generic BioServe in biotech

machine (or CGBA for short). Shuttle Atlantis

will carry CGBA up and leave it behind on the ISS, where

left at least 68 days - longer than any single flight of Shuttle >>. << "One of the advantages of ISS"

Klaus said, "that the station can run these experiments

for many weeks or months." (In an earlier work, transfer of on

samples do not always have time to reach peak production for

. mission ended)

Left: Antibiotic production

is big business on the ground. Global market volume is estimated

more than $ 20 billion. Will MOBIAS in space outperform MOBIAS

on the earth? "I suspect that we will see an increase

[orbit], but we have to do a test to determine"

says Klaus. If bacteria is not overproduction, and researchers can

figure out why these factors may follow in ground facilities >>. Even a tiny increase << efficiency explains

, Claus, it would be very significant commercial: a fair assessment that each

percentage increase efficiency would save about six million dollars a year

antibiotic production costs. These prospects are paid researchers

close attention to these tiny microbes. No respect? No way. More information - the purpose of NASA Product Development (SPD), in frame

managed to Marshall Space Flight Center, is to help American businesses

explore the potential - and reap the benefits - and. SPD helps bring the benefits of space to Earth, where he

enriches the daily lives of American society. - This industrial partner working with BioServe and NASA for study

antibiotic production in space. Right: A test tube full

space grew colonies of bacteria (right) together with the agreed land

control (left). Production of antibiotics Monorden was 200% more

0-g in vitro, which flew on Space Shuttle Mission

STS-77 in 1996. [

] Porno: BIOS

technologies. - Non-profit sponsored by NASA

Commercial Space Center (CSC), located together at the University

Colorado at Boulder, Colorado, and University of Kansas

in Manhattan, Kansas (BioServe, KSU) established in October 1987. NASA Space

Product Development (SPD) program, located at Marshall Space

Flight Center, promotes commercialization of space industry for over 17 >> << of CSCS. Antibiotic reference: - In the research end of the 1960s found that

bacteria grow better in space. Join our growing list of subscribers

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