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Turek Goes to Space

Fred Turek Goes to Space!

One Twin in Space, One on the Ground

Well, his research will anyway. Fred Turek, Professor in the Department of Neurobiology, will be leading a Northwestern selected team as one of ten select groups for a unique experiment—to study the comparative effects of living in space via a twin study. As part of Northwestern's Human Exploration Research Opportunities (HERO) program, Dr. Turek will be leading an investigation into sequencing the gut microbiomes of astronauts Scott and Mark Kelly.  The year-long mission, titled "Metagenomic Sequencing of the Bacteriome in GI Tract of Twin Astronauts" will study the Kelly's comparative microbiomes along with 9 other conditions while the twins are separated (with Scott aboard the International Space Station, and Mark in Arizona with his wife, former US representative Gabrielle Giffords) in an effort to better understand the effects of long term space travel, critical for deep space exploration such as a mission to Mars.  The study of the microbiome is a rapidly evolving area that is part of the greater -omics field (genomics, proteomics, metablomics). While relatively new, the study of the ecology of the gut is a vital component to better understanding human health and can influence everything from the immune response to weigh gain.

Leading the Northwestern Group, Turek is joined by co-investigator Martha Hotz Vitaterna, Research Associate Professor and Executive Director of the Center for Sleep and Circadian Biology, and Peng Jiang, Postdoctoral Associate at the Center for Sleep and Circadian Biology. Three consultants—Ali Keshavarzian, M.D., and Christopher Forsyth of Rush University Medical School, and Stefan Green of the University of Illinois Chicago will advise on the analysis and interpretation of the study results.

For more information, see Northwestern's article at the Northwestern News website, and NASA's press release.

You can find out more at the Center for Sleep and Circadian Biology (CSCB).