A study examining muscle-aging in space has earned Siobhan Malany, Ph.D., an associate professor in the University of Florida College of Pharmacy, with the 2024 Compelling Results Award presented by the International Space Station National Lab. The award was presented at the International Space Station Research and Development Conference in Boston on Aug. 1.
Compelling Results Awards highlight groundbreaking research with significant potential, and Malany’s project was recognized in the biology and medicine category. Her team, comprising biologists, pharmacologists, and engineers, developed three-dimensional tissue chips from patient-specific cells. These chips, integrated into an autonomous cube-lab, were sent to the International Space Station to study the effects of microgravity on aging muscles. The results are expected to advance the understanding of aging and may eventually lead to new treatments for age-related diseases.
Key contributors to the study were Maddalena Parafati, Ph.D., a research assistant professor in the UF college of Pharmacy, and partners at Space Tango, Micro-gRx, and Advent Health.