Comments on Is telomere shortening reversible? A clue from NASA's twins mission

Joseph John Bevelacqua; SMJ Mortazavi

Joseph John Bevelacqua
SMJ Mortazavi Fox Chase Cancer Center, Pennsylvania, USA

Keywords: Space Radiation, Telomere, NASA Twin Study, Adaptive Response

Abstract

In his opinion article, Vishvkarma addressed the NASA Twin Study findings related to gene expression changes, immune system response, telomere dynamics and other changes in chromosomal inversions and cognitive function. The original study was recently published in Science. Vishvkarma oversimplifies the findings of the NASA Twin Study and inadvertently misleads readers not conversant with the details of that study and its conclusions regarding telomere length alterations. In summary, in this paper we discuss that interpreting the dynamics of astronauts' telomeres is more complicated than addressed by Vishvkarma.

Author Biography

SMJ Mortazavi, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Pennsylvania, USA

Dr. SMJ Mortazavi is a visiting scientist at Fox Chase Cancer Center (FCCC). He has authored more than 200 papers in peer-reviewed journals in the areas such as space biology, radiation protection, radiation shielding, natural radiation, radioadaptive response and the possible role of this phenomenon in radiation protection. He has also published papers on the key role of radioadaptation in the long-term stay of humans in space. Since his first report in 2003, he has worked on different methods of biological protection against detrimental effects of high levels of space radiation during long tern manned space missions.