The University of Malta has announced the publication of five "ground-breaking research articles as part of the largest collection on space bioscience ever, featured in various Nature Journals."
The University's Newspoint reports that the studies, "led by Professors Afshin Beheshti from NASA Ames Research Centre, and Christoper Mason from Weill Cornell Medicine, USA allowed the spearheading of teams of scientists across the globe that included Professor Joseph Borg and his colleagues in Malta. The published works mark a significant contribution to the field of space bioscience and highlight the pivotal role of the University of Malta in this rapidly evolving domain."
It lists five key highlights. The first is "A Second Space Age Spanning Omics, Platforms, and Medicine Across Orbits" (NATURE), which discusses rapid advancements in multinational, private and commercial spaceflight. Contributors: Dr Josef Borg and Prof. Joseph Borg.
The second is "Spatiotemporal Expression and Control of Haemoglobin in Space" (Nature Communications), which explores "how space environment activates genes regulating blood homeostasis. This study uses multi-omic datasets from NASA GeneLab and other missions to examine haemoglobin biology, a very well established field of research in Malta pioneered by Prof. Alex Felice since the late 90's." Primary Author: Dr Josef Borg; Contributors: Mr Alfred Buhagiar, Prof. Alex Felice and Prof. Joseph Borg.
The third is "Longitudinal Multi-Omics Analysis of Host Microbiome Architecture and Immune Responses During Short-Term Spaceflight" (Nature Microbiology). This study "profiles human microbiome responses to spaceflight, revealing time-dependent changes across multiple body sites. Contributors: Ms Christine Gatt and Prof. Joseph Borg.
The fourth is "Ethical Considerations for the Age of Non-Governmental Space Exploration" (Nature Communications). It addresses the legal, ethical and medical policy challenges of non-governmental space exploration. Contributors: Prof. Jean Calleja Agius, Dr Anu Iris and Prof. Joseph Borg.
The fifth is "Spaceflight Induces Changes in Gene Expression Profiles Linked to Insulin and Estrogen"(Communications Biology), which "examines how spaceflight affects gene expression related to insulin and estrogen signalling in both mice and humans, Newspoint reads. Contributors: Dr Anu Iris and Prof. Joseph Borg.
"Prof. Joseph Borg's significant involvement in all five studies underscores the University of Malta's significant presence and leadership in space bioscience. His collaboration with international agencies and institutions, including NASA, SpaceX, JAXA, and ESA, has been instrumental in advancing our understanding of how spaceflight impacts biological systems. This collection is but a start of what can be achieved together and in bringing humanity closer," Newspoint said.