MEDIA ADVISORY: USC-led study first to send fungi to space in order to develop medicine

USC is collaborating with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to potentially develop space meds

Contact: Zen Vuong at (213) 300-1381 or zvuong@usc.edu

WHAT: Media teleconference to discuss pioneering science investigations that will be launched aboard a SpaceX commercial resupply flight to the International Space Station. This research could help ensure the safety and health of astronauts in a future journey to Mars.

A USC-led study called Micro-10 will be the first in the world to launch fungi into space for the purpose of potentially developing new medicine for use both in space and on Earth. The high-radiation, microgravity environment could prompt the fungus Aspergillus nidulans to produce therapeutic molecules it doesn’t create in Earth’s less stressful conditions.

A SpaceX Dragon capsule is scheduled to launch at 1:43 p.m. PDT on Friday, April 8 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The spacecraft will transport crew supplies, scientific research and hardware to the ISS.

WHEN: 10 a.m. PDT Monday, March 28

WHERE: Audio of the teleconference will stream live at http://www.nasa.gov/newsaudio

To participate in the teleconference, reporters must contact Tabatha Thompson at 202-358-1100 or tabatha.t.thompson@nasa.gov by 8 a.m. PDT March 28 for dial-in information.

WHO:

• Clay Wang, principal investigator for Micro-10 and a professor of pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences and chemistry at the USC School of Pharmacy and the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
• Kasthuri Venkateswaran, principal investigator for Microbial Observatory-1 at the California Institute of Technology
• Julie Robinson, chief scientist for the International Space Station Program at NASA’s Johnson Space Center
• Rajib Dasgupta, NASA project and technical integration manager for the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) at Johnson and Lisa Kauke, BEAM deputy program manager at Bigelow Aerospace
• Kenneth Savin, Kristofer Gonzalez-DeWhitt, Michael Hickey and Rosamund Smith of Eli Lilly and Company
• Gioia Massa, principal investigator for Veg-03 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center
• Anna-Sophia Boguraev, student researcher, and Scott Copeland, ISS Research, Systems & Specialty Engineering manager for The Boeing Company

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Image: Clay Wang, lead researcher and a professor of pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences and chemistry at USC, and Kasthuri “Venkat” Venkateswaran, co-principal investigator and senior research scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (Photo credit: Gus Ruelas)