Chasing Life How Hibernation Could Redefine Space Travel and Medicine
Feb 20, 2026
Guest
Fauna Bio / Lab Representatives (Ashley Zender, Katie Greybeck, Ryan Sprenger)
Guest
Jenshiro Sonagawa
Guest
Christopher Gregg
Ashley Zender, Katie Greybeck, and Ryan Sprenger from Fauna Bio: researchers turning squirrel hibernation into genomics-driven therapies. Dr. Jenshiro Sonagawa: neuroscientist inducing torpor in mice to explore clinical uses. Christopher Gregg: neurobiology and genomics expert comparing hibernator and human genomes. They discuss genomic switches, brain circuits and tools like RESPIRES, and how torpor could impact cancer, heart protection, surgery, and space travel.
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Research Fueled By A Personal Cancer Diagnosis
- Christopher Gregg shared his personal diagnosis and involvement with the Trance Project studying dormant cancer cells.
- Patients donated tissues for rapid autopsy studies to map how disseminated tumor cells survive in organs.
Dormant Cancer Cells Differ By Organ
- The Trance Project compares active tumors and distant organ samples to find gene programs of dormant disseminated tumor cells.
- Early results show different survival genes when breast cells persist in liver versus lung, revealing organ-specific vulnerabilities.
Watching Ground Squirrels Hibernate Up Close
- Fauna Bio studies 13-lined ground squirrels in a cold hibernaculum to observe true obligate hibernation.
- These squirrels spend weeks in torpor, periodically rewarming for short active intervals across months.