Alysson Muotri should be the first Brazilian scientist in space, where since 2019 he has been sending so-called mini-brains – brain organoids created with so-called iPS cells (or induced pluripotent stem cells).
The organoids are built in the researcher's laboratory in California and have been taken on missions on the ISS ( International Space Station). The idea is to analyze how the brain develops and the neurological impact of microgravity.
"The expectation with the trip is very high", says the researcher. "I believe that the cure for autism and Alzheimer's may be in space. It will accelerate these discoveries and treatments."
A biologist from Unicamp (State University of Campinas) and a doctor in genetics from USP (University of São Paulo), Muotri embarked on neuroscience to try to understand what makes us human.
Translated by Cassy Dias