Baku:The Saudi Space Agency, in partnership with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), has sent the first biological samples from the Middle East to space. This initiative, known as the BioGravity-1 mission, is part of a research program aiming to advance scientific efforts against Alzheimer's disease and multiple sclerosis. The mission was launched aboard SpaceX CRS-35 to the International Space Station, with support from NASA.

According to Saudi Press Agency, the mission represents the first phase of a program designed to utilize microgravity research in health sciences. The samples, sourced from healthy human donors, are meant to establish a scientific baseline for future studies. Two key experiments, SSA-1 and SSA-2, are part of this endeavor, aimed at understanding cellular changes linked to aging and neurodegenerative diseases.

The program is a product of international collaboration between the Saudi Space Agency, KAUST, the US-based National Stem Cell Foundation, and Axiom Space, with NASA's support. This partnership connects Saudi scientific efforts with the global research community.

Rayyanah Barnawi, General Supervisor of Microgravity Research at the Saudi Space Agency and a Saudi astronaut, highlighted the significance of this launch for advancing human health research. Professor Imed Gallouzi from KAUST, the project's lead scientist, emphasized the mission's potential to test disease models in space, which cannot be replicated on Earth. Additionally, Dr. Pinar Mesci of the National Stem Cell Foundation noted the mission's innovative approach to population-level studies in microgravity.

The BioGravity program includes three phases, with the first focusing on healthy samples, the second on disease models, and the third on therapeutic responses. This initiative aligns with Saudi Vision 2030, aiming to boost national research capabilities and international partnerships in space science and technology.