Soon the list of projects where the Institute of Fundamental Biology and Medicine participates will be enlarged by a new one – the unique space experiment using cryptobiotic larva of Polypedilum vanderplanki.

In the framework of a joint long-term research program between the Russian and Japanese space agencies will be made an experiment Space midge. It will be carried out in 2014 on International space station. Its concept designed to understand how the space flight influences the genetic apparatus and life cycle of insects was developed by experts from KFU, State Research Centre of the Institute of Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Agricultural and Biological Sciences (Japan).

Space Midge experiment appears to be a part of joint project AQH – Aquarium initiated in 2010 and conducted by the Institute of Biomedical problems and Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency. The focal area covers study of influence caused by space flight to aquatic organisms. It is conducted with the help of aquarium system Aquatic Habitat installed on Japanese Module of the International Space Station. Fish and invertebrates are used as experimental material.