COMMERCIAL BIOMEDICAL TESTING MODULE-3: ASSESSMENT OF SCLEROSTIN ANTIBODY AS A
NOVEL BONE FORMING AGENT FOR PREVENTION OF SPACEFLIGHT-INDUCED SKELETAL FRGILITY IN
MICE (CBTM-3-SCLEROSTIN ANTIBODY)
Research Area: Animal Biology – Vertebrates
Expedition(s): 27 and 28
Principal Investigator(s): ● Chris Paszty, PhD, Amgen Research, Thousand Oaks,
California
● Hua Zhu (David) Ke, MD, Amgen Research, Thousand Oaks,
California
● Louis S. Stodieck, PhD, University of Colorado, BioServe Space
Technologies, Boulder, Colorado
● Martyn Robinson, PhD, Union Chimique Belge, Brussels,
Belgium
● Mary L. Bouxsein, PhD, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusets
● Ted A. Bateman, PhD, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill,
North Carolina
● Virginia L. Ferguson, PhD, University of Colorado, BioServe
Space Technologies, Boulder, Colorado
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
Commercial Biomedical Testing Module-3: Assessment of sclerostin antibody as a novel bone
forming agent for prevention of spaceflight-induced skeletal fragility in mice (CBTM-3-Sclerostin
Antibody) is one in a series of investigations designed to determine if administering an
experimental agent preflight reduces the loss of bone associated with spaceflight. Humans and
animals have been observed to lose bone mass during the reduced gravity of spaceflight. The
sclerostin antibody is designed to inhibit the
action of “sclerostin”, a protein that is a key
negative regulator of bone formation, bone
mass, and bone strength.
EARTH BENEFITS
If the sclerostin antibody proves successful in
reducing spaceflight induced bone mass loss, the
results may point towards possible prevention
and treatment of the bone loss that can result
from “skeletal disuse” in such conditions as
immobilization, stroke, cerebral palsy, muscular
dystrophy, spinal cord injury, and reduced
physical activity.S118E09327 -– STS-118 Mission Specialist Tracy
Caldwell and Pilot Charles Hobaugh observe the
Animal Enclosure Modules in the Middeck of the
Space Shuttle Endeavour.