In this episode of the BEaTS Research Radio, Annie Xiang from the University of Ottawa sits down with Dr. Marcelo Vazquez, radiobiology section head at the Canadian Nuclear Laboratories. Together, they explore how cosmic and proton radiation affects the human body as astronauts prepare for missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Dr. Vazquez shares his journey from aspiring astronaut to NASA researcher, explains the power of human brain organoids as cutting-edge research models, and highlights how this work will help protect future astronauts.            

Learn more: https://space.uwo.ca/people/our-members/vazquez-marcelo/index.html

0:01 | BEaTs and host introduction
0:50 | Introduction by Dr. Vazquez and his scientific journey
4:18 | Overview of Dr. Vazquez's research on radiation biology
5:58 | Summary of a paper published by Dr. Vazquez regarding radiation on brain organoids
6:54 | Reasons for using human brain organoid models
8:57 | Challenges encountered during the research process
11:30 | How Dr. Vazquez's findings can help protect astronauts from space radiation
13:30 | Final takeaways by Dr. Vazquez

Soundtrack by The Underground Drive. All rights reserved. Listen more:
https://music.apple.com/ca/artist/the-underground-drive/1571062779
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4sCJG8TMQyTZ9FDd1JjJmR

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Annie Xiang (Voice), Annie Xiang, Adam Al-Khalili, Kamron Yunusov, Tabassum Howlader (Post-production, Content generation, Producers).