IIT Madras, NASA collaborate to study drug resistant pathogens on ISS

NEW DELHI: Researchers from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras and National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) have partnered to study multi-drug-resistant pathogens aboard the International Space Station (ISS), with potential applications for astronaut health and Earth-based scenarios.

Enterobacter bugandensis study

The study, focusing on Enterobacter bugandensis, a common nosocomial pathogen on the ISS, delved into genomic, functional, and metabolic enhancements in multidrug-resistant pathogens.re-write this line….sounding like a press release not news.This research is crucial for understanding microbial dynamics in space environments and assessing their impact on astronaut well-being.

Applications from study

The real-world applications from the study include the development of targeted antimicrobial treatments, strategies for managing microbial contamination in closed environments, and the advancement of systems biology approaches for studying microbial dynamics in extreme environments.

The collaborative efforts between IIT Madras and NASA’s JPL highlight the importance of international partnerships in advancing scientific knowledge. This collaboration also shows an important step in space exploration and biomedical research, highlighting global efforts to address challenges in astronaut health and environmental microbiology. Published in the journal Microbiome, the study represents an important step forward in comprehending microbial behaviour in confined environments like spacecraft.

Karthik Raman, an IIT Madras professor, highlighted the complexity of microbial growth in challenging conditions. According to Ramansuch studies help unravel intricate interactions underlying microbial survival in unique environments.

Kasthuri Venkateswaran from JPL, NASA, stressed the importance of understanding microbial behaviour and adaptation in extreme environments. The research provides insights into microbial community interactions and potential antimicrobial resistance mechanisms within E bugandensis strains, he added.