The project of students of the Wroclaw University of Technology and the University of Wroclaw – ARES (Astrobiology and Radiation Experiments in Stratosphere) was awarded by the 3M company and received 10,000. PLN for further development of research on the behavior of cancer cells in the stratosphere.

Students want to send a stratospheric balloon at a height of about 30 km above the surface of the Earth, sensitive to the radiation of human skin cells – normal keratinocytes and melanoma. At this height, environmental conditions are the same as on Mars. This will enable checking the effect of all high doses of radiation on the functioning of human cells.

As part of the research, an attempt will be made to develop a biological radiation sensor based on skin cells and to check the influence of selected substances of natural origin in their use in pharmacological protection against changes caused by the action of electromagnetic radiation.