Saudi’s King Faisal Specialist Hospital leads 4 research experiments in Space Medicine

Saudi’s King Faisal Specialist Hospital leads 4 research experiments in Space Medicine

Riyadh: King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center (KFSH&RC) is leading four advanced research experiments in cell sciences in space, in cooperation with the Saudi Space Commission (SSC) aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

The experiments will be held as part of the journey of Saudi astronauts: Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali Al-Qarni to the ISS, a scientific expedition that represents a historic event for the Kingdom, ushering a new phase for Saudi Arabia in the field of space.

The four experiments that will be conducted are a test for immune cell response to inflammation in space; monitoring the activity of thousands of genes in immune cells exposed to inflammation over time; monitoring the resulting changes in the lifespan of the messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) between space and Earth; and simulating the inflammatory response to drug therapy using an immune cell model.

The scientific experiments that the KFSH&RC will conduct are within the framework of the Kingdom's astronauts’ program. The experiments are considered one of the most important programs of the National Space Strategy, which has been approved by the Supreme Space Council, headed by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince and Prime Minister.

In its first phase, the program