AMGEN'S HIGH HOPES SPACE SHUTTLE'S PAYLOAD TO INCLUDE EXPERIMENT ON BONE-LOSS DRUG.

Byline: Evan Pondel Staff Writer

THOUSAND OAKS - Amgen Inc. is sending its laboratory aloft as the biotechnology giant partners with NASA to study the effects of space travel on the human skeleton.

The project is part of the Thousand Oaks-based company's osteoporosis research in which mice will be shuttled up to space aboard Endeavor on Thursday for about 10 days. Several of the mice will be injected with a protein called osteoprotegerin 24 hours before the flight to determine whether the substance prevents bone loss in a weightless environment.

``The space shuttle experiment will help us gain insight and within a few years we expect to have a therapy based on this natural protein,'' said Paul Kostenuik, research scientist in Amgen's Metabolic Disorders group.

Space is an ideal environment for osteoporosis research because bones tend to decompose rapidly when not fortified by gravity. Space missions have documented decreases in bone density of 4 percent to 13 percent, according to data provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

``On Earth, the skeleton can measure mechanical forces so you have just enough bone ... but in space that doesn't happen,'' Kostenuik said.

While the outcome of the research could benefit astronauts who embark on long-term space flight, the primary focus is a burgeoning number of women over the age of 50 who will eventually suffer from bone loss.

In the United States, around 8 million women have osteoporosis and one in two women over age 50 will have a related bone fracture in their lifetime, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation.

Even so, Amgen's research is preliminary, and the group's investigation on the protein OPG is far from conclusive. What the scientists do know is that OPG is found naturally in the human body and can be grown via bacteria. Discovered in 1995, the protein is produced by most mammals and has the ability to regulate bone growth when injected, Amgen said.

Though OPG is relatively inexpensive to cultivate, the cost of sending a mouse into space isn't exactly cheap.

John Emond, a commercial program coordinator for NASA, wouldn't divulge how much it costs a company to utilize shuttle space designated for payload, but he did say it isn't inexpensive.

``Yes, there are a lot of costs associated,'' he said.

However, David Kaye, a spokesman for Amgen, said the cost isn't too daunting - ``say around several hundred thousand.''

Regardless, NASA, Amgen and BioServe Space Technologies, a group affiliated with the University of Colorado at Boulder, will all benefit from the research.

``Everyone recognizes the importance of what comes back from the work and are pleased to have that recognition,`` Emond said.

Ted Bateman, a biomedical engineer at BioServe, facilitated the relationship between NASA and Amgen. The group he works for seeks out companies that are interested in sending objects or animals into space.

``Our job is to get companies like Amgen ... to test, improve or develop products using a microgravity environment,'' Bateman said.

For NASA, partnering with companies has proved fruitful since 1984. The agency has worked with more than 140 companies and has allowed commercial partners to fly with their payloads in certain instances.

Emond said if someone would like to fly with the payload they are subjected to the same rigorous standards that astronauts endure.