This medical device heading to space with Joshua Kutryk is also helping people here on Earth
ACTIS can determine whether or not someone is prone to or has a blood clot
On Oct. 1 Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Joshua Kutyrk will blast off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., and he’s bringing some innovative Canadian tech with him.
Living and working in space is a dangerous job.
asserted
Living → head → space
Our bodies weren’t made for living in low gravity, and astronauts can experience a slew of different side effects.
asserted
astronauts → make → effects
That includes the potential to develop extremely dangerous blood clots, which has happened, though we don’t know to whom due to privacy concerns.
asserted
we → include → concerns
And NASA is very interested in ensuring the safety of astronauts living on the orbiting laboratory.
asserted
NASA → ensure → laboratory
“Over the years, we have spent a lot of time investigating what happens to the human body when humans go to space for weeks, months at a time.
asserted
humans → spend → time
And there have been some medical concerns associated with formation of blood clots,” said Mathieu Caron, director of CSA’s astronaut office.
asserted
Caron → associate → office
“That prompted NASA to look at different ways to properly quantify the risk, to understand, you know, are we close to a problem or not?”
asserted
we → prompt → problem
That’s why they’ve commissioned technology from Vancouver-based Response Biomedical.
asserted
they → ’ → Biomedical
One instrument of particular interest to NASA was one that measures the D-dimer in blood, a protein fragment left over in the blood after a clot.
asserted
that → measure → clot
He said this is one of the most crucial pieces of information for flight surgeons on the ground.
asserted
this → say → ground
NASA chose CSA because of its experience with health and life science research on the space station, he said.
asserted
he → choose → station
Called Acute Care Testing in Space (ACTIS), the device is taken from the company’s existing RAMP technology.
asserted
device → call → technology
These devices can not only look for blood clots but also look for evidence of heart attacks or testing for COVID-19, RSV and more.
asserted
devices → look → COVID-19
The simple blood test can be done within minutes, making it far more efficient than others, said Taso Tsonis, CEO of Reponse Biomedical.
asserted
Tsonis → do → Biomedical
“It's a great story of how our Canadian-developed platform is being used internationally now on the International Space Station, but our continued focus is here on Earth,” Tsonis said.
asserted
Tsonis → develop → Earth
“And advancing testing to more reliable testing that's portable and near a patient where you can get a result in about 15 minutes as opposed to waiting for hours for a critical test result.
asserted
you → advance → result
”
That timeliness is also important to those living in remote communities here on Earth, where testing may be limited and time may be of the essence.
uncertain
time → live → essence
"A lot of times, health-care systems are burdened by either unnecessary treatment, unnecessary admissions, but also people who are not assessed quickly enough," Tsonis said.
asserted
Tsonis → burden → treatment
Sunday Shoutout, your questions for Alberta astronaut Joshua Kutryk
Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk is heading to the ISS next week
Tsonis said that he's excited to think that, should Kutryk's testing of the technology go well, ACTIS could perhaps travel farther than the ISS — perhaps to the moon or even Mars, as NASA plans for more human space exploration.
uncertain
NASA → head → exploration
And both Caron and Tsonis said the fact that ACTIS was chosen for the ISS is a win for Canada.
asserted
ACTIS → say → Canada
“For us, it demonstrates the flexibility and the enduring value of our technology that we are part of an innovative journey, and especially in today's climate,” Tsonis said.
asserted
Tsonis → demonstrate → climate
The Aporia
