Researchers from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Dental Medicine and College of Engineering are partnering with NASA and Colgate-Palmolive to study the growth and treatment of oral bacteria in space, the school announced May 29.
The study will begin after the launch of NASA's SpaceX CRS-22 rocket June 3. The rocket will be carrying 25 kits containing oral bacteria and saliva from 30 UNLV dental clinic patients. Each kit includes a 3D-printed, battery-powered microfluidic pump device created by two UNLV engineering professors that will help test the effects of Colgate's products against the bacteria. The kits will be returned in July and compared with bacteria grown on Earth.
Development of the project began in 2019 but was stalled several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic.