The University of Malta is collaborating with the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) to set up and execute a series of experiments on astronauts to monitor the behaviour of human blood in space.

Astronauts who return from space often suffer from anemia – a condition in which the body does not have enough healthy red blood cells, which provide oxygen to body tissues. The aim of the study is to see what leads to such a reaction and how this could be better controlled.

Project Polaris is the first of three which form part of the Pleides programme. Professor Joseph Borg, who is in charge of the operation from Malta’s side, said that it is named after “a star system that is visible to the naked eye in dark skies – just like in science, sometimes the answer is right there staring at us already, we just need to find the opportunity to look in the right direction”.

Borg, who is a molecular geneticist and biomedical laboratory scientist, and a current member of the Analysis Working Group at the Nasa Gene Lab, USA, said that this is the first astronaut project in which Malta will be participating. The project is expected to take place in the first half of 2023.

The aim of the project is to collect blood data regarding haemoglobin levels on astronauts before they leave planet earth, during their time in space on the Crew Dragon Spacecraft, and upon their return to Earth.

The project is privately funded and the engaged crew form part of the SpaceX Polaris Dawn team of astronauts. The research will centre around the studying of space anemia.

In comments to The Malta Independent on Sunday, Borg explained how the astronauts’ blood haemoglobin levels will be charted.

“The levels of foetal and adult haemoglobin fractions will be studied, paving the way to understanding better the developmental haemoglobin gene switch mechanism,” he said, adding that haemoglobin levels are affected by many factors such as illnesses and life events.

In explaining the relation between the study of haemoglobin levels and space, Borg said space is the perfect medium for this study as “for some reason haemoglobin levels go back to foetal levels when astronauts are in space. This makes it the perfect situation to identify biomarkers”.

“If we manage to truly understand how haemoglobin truly works this could lead to better therapies aimed at treating clinical disorders such as Sickle Cell Anemia and Beta Thalassemia”.

University of Malta students will also be involved in the post operational management of the project, said the professor.

Additionally Malta will also be working with OHRI which is already specialised in the field of blood studies.

For Borg this is the second project he is working on with SpaceX as he already took part in “Project Maleth” science research projects as part of the SpaceX NASA Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) missions to the International Space Station (ISS).

Last year professor Borg was also in charge of the Maleth-1, when Malta had sent its first-ever mission to space aboard SpaceX's CRS-23 mission.

In an interview with Tesmanian blog, Borg had explained that "The samples will be genetically profiled using state-of-the-art tools that read through the entire DNA sequence of all microorganisms present in the DFUs,” after which then data collected will be matched up with an antibiotic resistant to the earthly form of the same bacteria.

Commenting on the research database SpaceOMIX he said it “will continue proudly collaborating with leading institutions and organisations to further their mission and work on some of humanity’s most important questions and aspirations to date”.