The Billings Clinic doctor’s space experiment aims to protect the health of astronauts

BOZEMAN, Mont. — A NASA space biology research project, called MeF1, by Billings Clinic Bozeman physician Hansjorg Schwertz, MD, PhD, was launched into orbit.

The experiment focuses on how bone marrow cells respond to spaceflight for astronauts’ health.

The research will be analyzed to determine how to prevent dangerous blood clots that limit human space exploration.

NBC Montana spoke with Schwertz, who said he became interested in the research after receiving reports of astronauts suffering from blood clots in the veins of the neck.

“We hope to learn what those cells actually do during spaceflight, how they grow, how they differentiate, how they respond to that environment,” Schwetz said.

The analysis will start at the beginning of December to see whether the cells can function properly.

Schwertz says a team effort and funding from NASA made the research project possible.

The SpX CRS-31 rocket will travel to the International Space Station and the experiment will begin on the station on Monday.

Billings Clinic sent the following:

Nearly two years ago, Billings Clinic announced that one of its Bozeman-based occupational medicine physicians had led a NASA space biology research project along with a team of experts from the University of Utah. On Monday, November 4, these efforts took a giant step forward when a rocket carrying the project, led by Billings Clinic Bozeman physician Hansjorg Schwertz, MD, PhD, was launched into orbit.

The study was initially one of ten selected by NASA in 2021 to advance understanding of how living systems respond, adapt and acclimate to the space environment. The project itself focused on the effects of space travel on certain blood cells and could have implications for the health and well-being of astronauts as they travel and explore space.

After almost three years of work, Dr. Schwertz to attend the launch became a reality. The experiment, called MeF1, boarded the SpX CRS-31 rocket to travel to the International Space Station (ISS).

Dr. Schwertz serves as co-primary investigator for the project, along with Matthew Rondina, MD, professor of internal medicine and pathology at University of Utah Health. While Schwertz serves as project leader from Montana, he also serves as adjunct faculty at the University of Utah. The two work together with a group of highly qualified and highly invested researchers and technicians.

The study specifically looks at the effects of spaceflight, microgravity and space radiation on megakaryocytes, the cells in the bone marrow responsible for making platelets. Platelets are blood cells in the small circulation that help stop bleeding and coordinate responses to infectious diseases, but can also cause blood clots if overactivated.

“In the isolated environment of a space station, clots can be a serious problem,” explains Dr. Schwertz out. “You don’t want astronauts developing occlusive thrombi (blood clots) in space. It requires a lot of logistics and a lot of treatment.”

The study is now in orbit and the findings upon return could help develop measures to prevent the formation of dangerous blood clots in astronauts during space missions and could lead to better treatments for clotting and immune disorders on Earth.

In addition to the flight experiments, ground control studies will be conducted, including the simulation of galactic cosmic ray exposure. The research team, including Dr. Schwertz, will closely monitor the studies in real time from the ground and analyze experiments when they return to Earth in the near future.

The studies aim to provide unprecedented insight into the adaptive processes required for megakaryocytes and platelets to function under conditions that humans experience during spaceflight. Additionally, the research team hopes to directly address the health concerns of crew members and commercial passengers that currently limit human space exploration, which could help develop specific countermeasures to these concerns. Specifically, the results of the NASA-funded study could help address immune system function, dysregulated inflammatory responses and the inadvertent development of blood clots in space crews.

“Our results will hopefully have implications for professional astronauts in low Earth orbit, but also for when we travel further,” Schwertz said. “Additionally, this could have applications for space tourism. You have to remember that it takes a lot of resources to train people and get them there, so you don’t want something to happen medically, especially if it could have been prevented.”

Schwertz tried to put his feelings into words, having now seen the fruit of his team’s efforts explode into space. He describes a strange idea.

“After so much preparation, launching the experiment to the ISS feels like saying goodbye to a family member,” he said. “There is sadness that this part is now done, but also so much excitement and gratitude for how it has turned out so far.”

Below is an image of the mission patch, which appeared at launch.