Dispatches from BIO 2016
Building muscle
(NASA’s Rodent Habitat is shown here with one of the two access doors open. Image credit: NASA/Dominic Hart)
By conducting the experiment in space, Savin explained researchers can tell if the compound is really working. “It’s hard to get a zero gravity environment [on Earth] for even a few minutes,” he added. “For our rodent study we needed a month [of zero gravity].”
Results from the study, which lasts six weeks, will help Eli Lilly in its discovery efforts as it seeks new treatments for muscle-wasting diseases, such as muscular dystrophy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, cancer cachexia and aging-related musculoskeletal frailty.