Blood of the Cosmos: Dr. Susan Bailey
Blood of the Cosmos focuses on the incredible story of Dr. Susan Bailey; Professor and Radiation Cancer Biologist in the Department of Environmental & Radiological Health Sciences at Colorado State University. For more than twenty years, Dr. Bailey has been studying the effects of radiation on the human body; specifically how different types of low wavelength radiation cause telomeres on the chromosomes of DNA to elongate and shrink, effectively lengthening or shortening the lifespan of the individual.
Dr. Bailey began her career at Colorado State University where she obtained a degree in biology; an interest she acquired at a young age. Bailey had no inkling as to what she wanted to do with her life and decided to take a risk and enter the radiological sciences field with a professor whom she had studied with.
However, upon having children, she decided to take a 10-year hiatus from her research and sold Tupperware while raising her children in New Mexico. Some years later, Bailey decided to advance her career in radiation biology by receiving her Ph.D. in the same year her children graduated from high school.
Since then, Dr. Bailey has selected by NASA to research the effects of cosmic radiation on astronauts as part of a cohort of 10 researchers from across the world. During that time, Bailey has worked with astronauts from around the globe including the most recent genetic study with the Kelly twins. Scott Kelly, chosen by NASA due to his experience and twin brother Mark, spent nearly a year aboard the International Space Station in an effort to shed light on the effects of radiation on his body, including his telomeres which Dr. Bailey was highly interested in. After careful research, Dr. Bailey discovered some of the data collected contradicted her initial hypothesis, a contradiction that validates the methods used to obtain factual information through the scientific method.
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Dr. Bailey Write Up:
"Dr. Bailey is a Professor and Radiation Cancer Biologist in the Department of Environmental & Radiological Health Sciences (ERHS). Part of her current research program includes being one of 10 investigations selected by NASA for the TWINS Study, an integrated effort to launch human space life science research into a new era of molecular or "omics" based studies. As part of the one year mission aboard the International Space Station, identical twin astronauts Scott and Mark Kelly, are the subjects of this unique research opportunity. The overall goal of the TWINS Study is to identify space-flight specific factors that influence human health, important considerations as we spend longer and longer periods of time, deeper and deeper into space, making our way to Mars.
Bailey and her team are assessing changes in telomere length and telomerase activity in the space- and earth-bound twins, as well as in a cohort of unrelated astronauts, which includes CSU alum Dr. Kjell Lindgren. She proposes that telomere maintenance represents not only a key indicator of general health, but also a particularly relevant biomarker of aging and age-related degenerative diseases (e.g., cardiovascular disease and cancer), as it reflects the combined experiences (e.g., nutritional, psychological, and physical stresses) and environmental exposures (e.g., UV and ionizing radiations) encountered during spaceflight. Studies also include evaluating chromosome aberrations as specific biomarkers of radiation exposure. Taken together with the other TWINS Study investigations, results will facilitate identification of interactive effects and relationships that will suggest potential mitigation strategies for future study, as well as benefit precision medicine efforts in monitoring health and assessing disease risk not only of astronauts but for those on earth as well."
-Colorado State University Environmental & Radiological Health Sciences
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CREW:
Director: Patrick Wine
Sound Recordist: William Gibbons
Assistant Camera: James Mahones
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-----Special Thanks-----
Dr. Susan Bailey
Colorado State University
University of Colorado at Boulder
Emilie Upzcak
NASA
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Footage/Images Courtesy of NASA
Music
"Everdream" by Epic Soul Factory & Really Slow Motion
Check out their website here: http://www.reallyslowmotion.com/
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