On Friday 10 June at 16:22, SpaceX will once again carry out a Maltese planned and designed mission experiment to the International Space Station. This special event is being organised by Professor Joseph Borg and his team and hosted at LT1, Erin Serracino Inglott Hall at the University of Malta, held a day before as a pre-launch seminar. The scope of this event is to showcase the science from all aspects, which include biomedical science, data science, and space science, all carried out under the auspices of the Maleth Program.
The biomedical science experiment for Maleth II, is a follow-up study on the one launched last year as part of CRS-23 mission to the International Space Station, but now contains an upgraded light-weight metal as a cube device, and moreover also separately consists of a yeast cell model to study how this cell would be affected by the micro gravity and high radiation in space. Prof Borg, a molecular geneticist and associate professor at the , Faculty of Health Sciences, is joined by other principal investigators from other collaborating centres. These include Professors Chris Mason from Weill Cornell Medicine, and Afshin Beheshti from NASA Ames Research Centre, USA.
Locally, Ms Christine Gatt, who is studying for her doctoral degree under Professor Borg and Dr Graziella Zahra’s supervision, and in close collaboration with Professor Kevin Cassar and his team at Mater Dei Hospital. Ms Gatt is currently looking at the human skin tissue microbiomes of around a hundred diabetic patients with infected foot ulcers that may require surgery and amputation. The effects of spaceflight and microgravity is being studied on a smaller number of patients’ samples and will be compared to the antibiotic resistance mechanisms encountered on Earth.
Singleron biotechnologies is supporting another part of the Maleth II mission, whereby one species of yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), that acts as a good higher-order model organism, will help in understanding cell adaptation and DNA damage. The yeast cells are also placed within the same cube experiment, but in separate sample holders. The overall objective of Maleth II, similarly to the previous mission last year, remains to assess the reaction of both microorganisms - now with the inclusion of yeast cells - to the harsh environment of space in low earth orbit, some 450km above Earth.
Maleth II experiments are the second set of experiments under the program supported by Malta's Ministry of Education, and the Ministry for Foreign and European Affairs. Monetary support was also provided by MeDirect Bank Malta and Singleron Biotechnologies facilitated through the Research, Innovation and Development Trust (RIDT) by Mr Wilfred Kenely.
The Maleth Program seeks to place Maltese-based research in low-earth orbit and open the doors for more ambitious missions that would take place beyond low-earth orbit and into deeper space missions. It aspires to bring together scientists from various disciplines who share their passion for exploration, as well as medical and life sciences at the extreme form of environments.
To attend the event virtually, please your interest. A live link event will be posted in due course closer to the event date.
