RESEARCH

UNL Experiment Lost with Columbia

		UNL biochemist Hideaki Moriyama

When the Space Shuttle Columbia crashed on Feb. 1, not only were seven lives lost, but also nearly 100 scientific experiments. Included in them were three experiments under the eye of UNL biochemist Hideaki Moriyama.

Moriyama was in Birmingham, Ala., on Feb. 1, awaiting the return of his protein crystallization experiment. He was with his co-researchers listening to NASA flight information from Johnson Space Center when the broadcast feed went silent.

"Suddenly the communication was lost and it just went quiet," Moriyama said. "We thought at first it was a normal part of the re-entry. It took us a while to realize that this wasn't normal, and then, we were quite concerned."

Moriyama watched then with the rest of the world as it became apparent that the shuttle was gone, and on it, the lives it carried. His first concern was with the astronauts, but his second was for his research, on which he had worked for at least the last four years.

Moriyama's main experiment, the Japan/U.S. Space Protein Crystal Growth Experiment, uses various techniques to determine the three-dimensional structures of biological molecules. The experiment aims to clarify the nature of protein crystallization in microgravity, the size and number of crystals, twin characteristics, fixed water molecules and other differences during crystal growth.

By comparing the signature of crystallization in outer space to that in Earth's gravity, Moriyama hoped to discover new therapeutic strategies in viral diseases like HIV/AIDS and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Huntington's. The ability to visualize the protein structures could help scientists design new drugs.

Moriyama said that microgravity on the space shuttle was key to the research because it is much easier to crystallize proteins in that environment.

"The surface kinetics are more flexible in space," he said. "That's why it's important to use microgravity."

The seven shuttle astronauts were responsible for activating and deactivating the experiment and checking ongoing crystallization, temperature and shape. Moriyama had received periodic updates from the Columbia during its 16-day mission. Once the small vials of protein specimens returned from space, Moriyama planned to oversee data analysis at the National Synchotron Light Source and use its sophisticated imaging techniques to observe the protein crystals. UNL's supercomputer the Prairie Fire was also to be used for molecular mapping.

"We need detailed structures to determine how to prevent movement of the protein," Moriyama said. "This is fundamental work. By finding the protein success rate we hope to determine a new structure for a drug metabolism protein, or a super-stable protein." Moriyama also was in charge of a similar Space Shuttle experiment in 1997.

Moriyama said for now, his research is on hold, since it required microgravity, and the space program will likely be on hold while the cause of the accident is explored. He hopes for a chance to possibly repeat the experiment on board the International Space Station, but otherwise, he may be forced to modify the experiment.

BIOCHEMISTRY