Microgravity and Space Biology

The Allen lab started working in the space biology field in 2013, after Dr. Allen receiving an award from NASA for investigators “new to space biology”.  That 1 year grant sparked a deep interest in connecting her long standing work in cardiovascular disease with the reported cardiovascular decondition that astronauts face following space flight.  The Allen lab studies what may be an underlying factor involved in cardiovascular deconditioning, specifically understanding the effect of microgravity on vascular cells.  Given that these cells under normal conditions maintain vascular homeostasis, our group seeks to understand how microgravity both in space and utilizing simulated devices alters the behavior of these cells and renders them less effective in vascular repair and thus leads to negative vascular function. Since this initial award from NASA, Dr. Allen also received the NASA GeneLab award, and recently received an award from UF's InSpaBio to continue this line of research.  The labs work has also expanded to include the effect of immune cells on vascular function under microgravity, through an award from the Florida Space Institute. The Allen lab has published it's findings and presented at national and international conferences.