Russian scientists are developing a drug for immersing astronauts in "hibernation" for long interplanetary flights, Professor Anatoly Kovtun, head of the project group of the Advanced Research Fund (FPI), told RIA Novosti.
"The developed approach of immersing a person in an artificial hypobiotic state can be used in the development of technologies for the development of distant outer spaces and other planets of the solar system, since the achievement of the desired goals is possible only by reducing oxygen consumption and expenditure of energy resources for the astronauts' body," said Kovtun.
According to him, the ultimate goal of the project is to create pharmacological preparations for introducing humans into an artificial hypobiotic state (synthetic hypobiosis), similar to the hibernation of bears.
The scientist also spoke about experiments during which laboratory animals were immersed in such a state for a certain time using drugs created by the FPI. It turned out that body temperature decreases, blood flow and heart rate slow down, and oxygen consumption by organs and tissues is significantly reduced due to a pronounced (two-fold) and prolonged (up to six days) slowdown of all biochemical processes in the body.
“When the drug is discontinued, the experimental animal spontaneously recovers within 10-24 hours. The duration of action can be regulated by the composition and dose of the drug,”said Kovtun.
The Advanced Research Fund was established in 2012 to promote research and development in the interests of the country's defense and security. It has three main areas - chemical and biological and medical, physical and technical, information. At the end of 2015, the National Center for the Development of Technologies and Basic Elements of Robotics was created in the structure of the FPI. Currently, the fund is working on more than 50 projects, for which more than 40 laboratories have been created in leading universities, research institutes and defense enterprises.
