Welcome to Our Blog
Thank you for visiting our website. We are a relatively small lab with big ideas. We are part of a much larger group of investigators known collectively as the LLUMC Molecular Radiation Biology Laboratories. It is our hope that this website will educate, communicate, and incite scientific debate. As the PI of our little group, I hope to post our data and discuss potential mechanisms, consequences, and countermeasures. With a bit of luck we'll all learn something. The links to the left include our merry band as well as collaborating investigators and laboratories. The links to the right include our archive and blogroll. The banner above will always bring you back to the main page page. Take a look around and please feel free to leave a comment on our blog (try to keep it civil and constructive) or shoot us an e-mail. - Michael " Ubertramp " Pecaut
Update from the Lab
Posted by: Ubertramp on 2008.09.06
Categories & Tags: BioServe Space Technologies,Brookhaven National Laboratory,Grant,International Space Station,NASA,New Publication,Politics,Russian Space Agency,Space Shuttle
Comments: 1
We’ve been pretty busy in the lab lately. We had yet another publication appear in PubMed, sent off multiple publications to journals for review, and ran a couple of big experiments. On top of that, I moved to a new house, so I’ve been less than useful in the lab for the last couple of months.
The publication in PubMed is from one of our earlier studies investigating the effects of radiation on the ability to respond to an immune challenge. In this case, it was a secondary challenge – meaning, we challenged the mice twice. Once immediately after irradiation. And once several weeks later. In essence, we were checking to see if radiation altered the development of basic immune memory. Here’s the abstract:
CU to Fly Shuttle Experiments to ISS
Posted by: Ubertramp on 2008.06.03
Categories & Tags: BioServe Space Technologies,Current Events,International Space Station,Microgravity,Space Shuttle,University of Colorado
Comments: None
It looks like my old lab at CU, BioServe Space Technologies, has just signed an agreement with NASA to fly experiments on all of the remaining shuttle missions to the International Space Station. Congratulations!
I’m not sure what they are planning for experiments except that they will likely be biological in nature. They’ve flown on dozens of flights so far with experiments ranging from plant physiology to bacterial resistance to antibiotics to full-blown mouse and rat experiments. I was lucky enough to be involved with experiments in each of those categories while I was there. You’d be amazed by what they can do with a test tube.
“Studies suggest space flight can result in the suppression of the immune system of both humans and animals, and previous studies have shown microgravity can alter growth rates, virulence, drug resistance and gene expression in microorganisms like salmonella,” said Stefanie Countryman, BioServe business manager and coordinator of education outreach.
Hmmm. I wonder if they’ll be looking for a bioengineer who knows a little about immunity and radiation. Psssst. Louis, have your people call my people.
Thanks to Sam & Angela Smith for the heads up.
