Riyadh: King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center (KFSH&RC) is leading four advanced research experiments in cell sciences in space, in cooperation with the Saudi Space Commission (SSC) aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

The experiments will be held as part of the journey of Saudi astronauts: Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali Al-Qarni to the ISS, a scientific expedition that represents a historic event for the Kingdom, ushering a new phase for Saudi Arabia in the field of space.

The four experiments that will be conducted are a test for immune cell response to inflammation in space; monitoring the activity of thousands of genes in immune cells exposed to inflammation over time; monitoring the resulting changes in the lifespan of the messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) between space and Earth; and simulating the inflammatory response to drug therapy using an immune cell model.

The scientific experiments that the KFSH&RC will conduct are within the framework of the Kingdom's astronauts’ program. The experiments are considered one of the most important programs of the National Space Strategy, which has been approved by the Supreme Space Council, headed by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince and Prime Minister.

In its first phase, the program aims to send two Saudi astronauts, a male and female, on a manned flight to the ISS, at an altitude of approximately (420 km) above the Earth's surface, for a period of 12 days.

The experiments are led by a scientific research team headed by the Chairman of the KFSH&RC’s Department of Molecular Biomedicine and Research Scientist, Dr. Khalid Abu Khabar, an internationally renowned scholar in the field, with the participation of Dr. Wejdan Al-Ahmadi and Dr. Edward Hitti.

The results of the experiments are expected to contribute to a better understanding of human health while in space and to reveal vital signs or potential treatments for inflammatory diseases both in space and on Earth.

It is scheduled that the two Saudi astronauts, along with the mission crew, will conduct 14 pioneering scientific research experiments in microgravity, the results of which will enhance the Kingdom's global position in the field of space exploration and serve humanity. The mission will also include conducting three educational awareness experiments.

Classified among the most prominent hospitals in providing specialized healthcare worldwide, KFSH&RC has recently been ranked by Brand Finance’s 2023 ranking of the world's best healthcare institutions as the world's 20th centre and the first in the Middle East and Africa.