INTERNATIONAL CAENORHABDITIS ELEGANS EXPERIMENT FIRST FLIGHT (ICE-FIRST), EIGHT
INVESTIGATIONS
Research Area: Animal Biology-Invertebrates
Expedition(s): 8
Principal Investigator(s): ● Noriaki Ishioka, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Tsukuba,
Japan
● Shuji Honda, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology,
Tokyo, Japan
● Atsushi Higashitani, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
● Hiroaki Kagawa, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
● Catharine A. Conley, PhD, NASA’s Headquarters, Washington,
DC, United States Development
● Akira Higashibata, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency,
Tsukuba, Japan
● Stuart Kim, PhD, Stanford University, Stanford, California
● Laurent Segalat, Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France
● Ann Rose, PhD, University of British Columbia, Vancouver,
British Columbia, Canada
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
The International Caenorhabditis elegans Experiment First Flight (ICE-First) investigation is a
collaborative effort conducted by scientists from several countries, which have the opportunity
to work as a team to design related experiments that would produce valuable results for
scientists across multiple disciplines. Researchers use C. elegans (nematode worms) because
they are relatively simple organisms that are used as a model for a wide variety of biological
processes.
ICE-FIRST-AGING (HONDA)
International Caenorhabditis elegans Experiment -
First - Aging (ICE-First-Aging) performs an analysis
of the aging related protein aggregation and the
effects of aging in muscle cells.
ICE-FIRST-APOPTOSIS (HIGASHITANI)
International Caenorhabditis elegans Experiment
First Flight-Apoptosis (ICE-First-Apoptosis) studies
the germ line development including meiotic
(process of cell division that produces
reproductive cells) chromosomal dynamics and
germ cell apoptosis (programmed cell death)
under microgravity conditions.
This image shows a magnified image of 2 adult
worms and 1 juvenile worm crawling in the liquid
media that was used for the ICE-First mission.