On the long trip to Mars, can induced hibernation be used to protect the health of space travelers and to maximize extremely limited resources?
Join the Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH) as we separate the science from fiction of "suspended animation" and delve into multiple aspects of hibernation, from medical and physiology to CO2 footprint and terrestrial applications. TRISH is a virtual institute empowered by the NASA Human Research Program to solve the challenges of human deep space exploration.
Synthetic torpor refers to the induction of torpor (the ability to actively depress metabolism below basal levels) in species that do not have the natural ability to do so (non-hibernators). Understanding the mechanisms that induce torpor in animals and potentially humans, could result in new approaches for conducting deep-space research and exploration class space missions. The workshop will discuss the potential of using synthetic torpor for long-term human space exploration applications by exploring four research areas: natural torpor, synthetic torpor, torpor genetics, and metabolic control in space.
This workshop digs into the potential use of synthetic torpor for long-term human space exploration applications by exploring four research areas: natural torpor, synthetic torpor, torpor genetics, and metabolic control in space.
Key learning objectives:
* To understand the state-of-the-art on human torpor
* To understand hibernation research in animal models
* To understand the state of human research in clinical applications related to torpor
* To determine recommendations and find gap areas that could be translatable to human torpor and hibernation for deep space missions. For the purposes of this workshop we are interested in understanding: metabolic control and how it relates to inflammation, neurodegeneration, nutrition, and radiation protection.
* To understand which in vivo or in vitro models are needed to move closer to human torpor