Category Archives: Physiology

Physiology

Study paves the way for development of new therapeutics for C. difficile infection – News-Medical.Net

A new study paves the way for the development of next generation therapeutics for the prevention and treatment of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI), the most frequent cause of healthcare-acquired gastrointestinal infections and death in developed countries.

Published today in Nature Communications, the study reveals the first 3D structure of the Clostridioides difficile toxin B (TcdB) in complex with chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan 4 (CSPG4), a human receptor. The study was co-led by senior author Rongsheng Jin, PhD, a professor in the Department of Physiology & Biophysics at the University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, and Min Dong, PhD, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School.

TcdB is one of two homologous C. difficile exotoxins, which are major virulence factors responsible for the spread of C. difficile infections. TcdB alone is capable of causing the full-spectrum of diseases associated with CDI in humans."

Rongsheng Jin, PhD, Professor, Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine

Previous studies had identified CSPG4 as a potential receptor for TcdB, however the pathophysiological relevance and molecular details were unknown. Results from this new study reveal a unique binding site involving TcdB and CSPG4, and also show that CSPG4-binding residues are highly conserved across most TcdB variants known to date.

CDI has become the most common cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and gastroenteritis-associated death in developed countries, accounting for approximately 223,900 infections, 12,800 deaths, and $1 billion in healthcare costs in the United States in 2017. It is classified as one of the top five "urgent threats" by CDC. There is also growing global concern surrounding the emergence of rapidly spreading hypervirulent C. difficile strains, reminiscent of the current COVID pandemic.

"What these new findings tell us is that a rationally designed CSPG4-mimicking decoy could neutralize major TcdB variants, providing a unique therapeutic avenue for combating some of the hypervirulent C. difficile strains," said Jin. In contrast, researchers also revealed that the therapeutic mechanism for bezlotoxumab, the only FDA approved anti-TcdB antibody, is sensitive to escaping mutations in some bacterial strains.

The current standard of care for CDI involves treatments using broad spectrum antibiotics, which often lead to frequent disease recurrence. While bezlotoxumab could reduce the recurrence rate of CDI in some patients, results from this and some earlier studies indicate it has weaker potency against some TcdB variants.

"We have designed a CSPG4-mimicking decoy based on the 3D structure we observed, which could neutralize major TcdB variants and is superior to bezlotoxumab on a major TcdB variant from a hypervirulent strain (TcdB2) in our studies. As a highly conserved cellular receptor of TcdB, a CSPG4 decoy molecule would be difficult for TcdB to escape, since any mutations that disrupt toxin binding to the decoy would also disrupt binding to its native receptors," said Jin.

The team of researchers has also developed a family of recombinant protein therapeutics based on these new findings, as well as on an earlier discovery on how TcdB recognizes another human receptor Frizzled (FZD).

"We are now examining the therapeutic features of these novel antitoxin molecules, and we believe they could provide broad-spectrum protection and neutralization against most known TcdB variants, thus improving existing antibody therapeutics for CDI," said Jin, whose team has filed a patent on these neutralizing molecules.

Source:

Journal reference:

Chen, P., et al. (2021) Structural basis for CSPG4 as a receptor for TcdB and a therapeutic target in Clostridioides difficile infection. Nature Communications. doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-23878-3.

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Study paves the way for development of new therapeutics for C. difficile infection - News-Medical.Net

Physiology

Switching from face-to-face to an online teaching strategy: how anatomy and physiology teaching transformed post-COVID-19 for a university…

This article was originally published here

Adv Physiol Educ. 2021 Sep 1;45(3):481-485. doi: 10.1152/advan.00233.2020.

ABSTRACT

The College of Science and Health Professions offers a university preprofessional program. Like most medical schools in Saudi Arabia, the teaching delivery strategy in the university preprofessional program is on campus and face-to-face. During the month of March 2020, teaching activities of the spring semester were proceeding as normal; however, the sudden emergence of COVID-19 disturbed routine activities and compelled authorities to switch all teaching activities from face-to-face to online. Training sessions and workshops for all stakeholders on online delivery methods were arranged. Blackboard and other online facilities were utilized. All teaching materials, including newly made video clips for anatomy and physiology practicals, were uploaded on Blackboard and discussed online with students. Students anxiety related to the exam was reassured by giving them the option of open book quizzes during summative continuous assessment. All scheduled teaching sessions, lectures, and practicals were conducted proficiently. Revision sessions and assessment quizzes were conducted with students satisfaction. At the end of the semester, a final exam was conducted online as an open book exam. Students with technical issues while attempting the exam were given an opportunity to make up for it. After a successful final exam, the cumulative block grades showed students secured higher grades in the open book exam. Following that, the King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences has managed to conduct on-campus close book exams that abide by self-distancing and standard operating procedure policies.

PMID:34142877 | DOI:10.1152/advan.00233.2020

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Switching from face-to-face to an online teaching strategy: how anatomy and physiology teaching transformed post-COVID-19 for a university...

Physiology

Plans revealed to build world’s deepest pool, Blue Abyss, in the UK | spabusiness.com news – Spa Business

The 150m project would see an aquatic centre housing a 164ft (50m) deep pool

Primarily designed for sea and space research, the project is led by a privately-funded company, Blue Abyss

The pool will hold more than 42,000 cubic metres of water

Blue Abyss has been designed by British architect Robin Partington

The 150m project would see an aquatic centre, housing a 164ft (50m) deep pool built at the Aerohub Enterprise Zone at Cornwall Airport.

The project is led by a privately-funded company, Blue Abyss, which is now in the process of applying for planning permission.

The centrepiece of Blue Abyss will be an aquatic centre featuring a 50m by 40m stepped pool with a 50m deep shaft. The pool will hold more than 42,000 cubic metres of water the equivalent of 17 Olympic size swimming pools making it the largest and deepest indoor pool in the world.

A sliding roof and 30-tonne crane will allow large objects to be lowered into the pool, from simulated sections of the International Space Station to underwater film sets and even cave systems to test remote operated vehicles or train deep-sea divers.

With the facility, Blue Abyss wants to "revolutionise extreme environment research and training in Europe".

The centre will offer state-of-the-art whole system human physiology and human-robotic interface R&D capabilities, serving the human spaceflight, sports science and terrestrial healthcare communities.

The on-site Kuehnegger Human Performance Centre will look to cater particularly for the professional sports sector as well as healthcare with an emphasis on rehabilitation from physical deconditioning.

Blue Abyss will look to form academic partnership with national and international universities, drawing on its resources to execute R&D projects, providing a mix of expertise and facilities.

In all, the 10-acre site is set to house the pool, an astronaut training centre, the Kuehnegger Human Performance Centre, hypobaric and hyperbaric chambers, microgravity suite, training centre with six classrooms, workshops, onsite catering and accommodation facilities.

There will also be a visitor and educational centre.

Blue Abyss has been designed by British architect Robin Partington, who led the design team for The Gherkin in London.

Once open, the facility is expected to generate 8m annually for the local economy.

Blue Abyss CEO, for British Army diving instructor, John Vickers, said: "We're planning a globally unique facility with a wide range of potential uses that tap into so many of the industries that Cornwall and the South West are known for.

"Blue Abyss will be a huge research asset for aerospace, offshore energy, underwater robotics, human physiology, defence, leisure and marine industries and a fantastic education centre for children."

Other deep pools in the world include Y-40, The Deep Joy a thermal pool in Italy.

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Plans revealed to build world's deepest pool, Blue Abyss, in the UK | spabusiness.com news - Spa Business

Physiology

Bring the ‘dad jokes,’ we need ’em. (Warning: This story contains actual dad jokes) – KSL.com

Dad jokes are known to reduce tension and strengthen connections as a meta-analysis from 2017 in the journal Advances in Physiology Education examined the health benefits of humor and backs those findings. (CNN)

ATLANTA (CNN) In September 2019, just ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic so roughly before-anyone-can-remember ago Merriam-Webster added the term "dad joke" to the dictionary, to little fanfare.

As it turns out, the official addition to our vocabulary was just in time to remind us of the value of instantly available humor, especially among freaked-out family members enduring lockdowns together.

If you tell dad jokes, you already know their usefulness in reducing tension and strengthening connections. A meta-analysis from 2017 in the journal Advances in Physiology Education examined the health benefits of humor and backs those findings. Humor, the analysis found, also promotes increased learning and stress reduction. That's no joke.

"We value humor because it teaches communication, humility and happiness," articulated my brother, Matthew Henneberger, an aficionado of the dad joke. What he loves about the genre is that dad jokes introduce these great lessons to kids at a very young age.

One of my favorites I got from him: "Where does George Washington keep his armies? In his sleevies."

Dad jokes are also easy to come by, one of the low-hanging fruits of comedy. They require no setup, context or segue. They are prt--porter. You can just drop a bad pun, say something goofy or blurt out the question and punchline answer together and immediately cash in on those eyerolls and smiles.

Try this one to anyone within earshot right now: "I was going to tell a time-traveling joke, but you didn't like it."

It's that combination of groan and chuckle that defines a dad joke and also explains their appeal.

They are not all "dumb" though, even if that label is the response you get. Or maybe they are a little dumb. Smart-dumb. More Marx Brothers than Three Stooges. They are populated by puns ("Clones are people two"), one-liners ("It takes guts to be an organ donor") and malapropisms ("What does a baby computer call his father? Data.")

They are often simple and easy to grasp, but the best ones are clever, too. "What rhymes with orange? No, it doesn't."

But do you know when a joke really becomes a dad joke? When it's apparent.

And they don't have to be just for kids, despite the name. But they must be G-rated. Dad jokes don't do blue or offensive. You can always safely tell a dad joke in front of kids, but depending on their age, you may need to explain why it's funny (in a very dadlike fashion).

Take this Zen koanlike gem: "What did Buddha say to the hot dog vendor? Make me one with everything." A worldly 10-year-old may get that one along with most adults, less so little kids.

And given their liberal use of homonyms, these jokes are often better delivered in person, like this one: "Did you hear about the circus fire? It was intense (in tents)."

My CNN colleague Alberto Mier likes to misuse his kids' slang or purposely bungle the names of things they like ("The Tickity Tock," for example).

"My 16-year-old, in particular hates it, so I do it even more," he added. "Stupid, but it drives her nuts, and that's what it's all about."

Basically, dad jokes are just fun. And we need more fun. It's also why we invited the mushroom to the party because they are the fungi!

So, collect them, memorize them, and start dropping them on others. I have a Google doc of favorites I've stumbled across or were told to me by fellow dads (and moms), like this winner from fellow dad and friend Sam Younis: "Why did the old man fall in the well? He couldn't see that well."

During the pandemic, Younis bought a book of dad jokes ("The Little Book of Dad Jokes: So Bad They're Good"). He keeps it handy in the kitchen just to lighten the mood.

"Now my kids read the jokes to me and shake their heads when they see me laugh," he said.

When you hear or read them, curate your favorites. I picked up this science dad joke from a CNN interview with Neil deGrasse Tyson: "Why can't you trust an atom? Because they make up everything."

So, curate your list (in a "dad-a-base!") and start busting them out. Fill the awkward wait at the start of a meeting, make your kid and their friends crack up (or enjoy their bonding over shared eye-rolling), and do it maybe the chief reason to delight yourself.

All right, ready for more jokes? CNN's Dad Joke Generator has your fix.

Time for me to make like a tree and leaf.

The-CNN-Wire & 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.

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Bring the 'dad jokes,' we need 'em. (Warning: This story contains actual dad jokes) - KSL.com

Physiology

Ohio University announces spring 2021 graduates – The Times

From Staff Reports| Beaver County Times

ATHENS, OH More than 4,800 students graduated with bachelor's, master's or doctorate degrees from Ohio University for spring semester 2021.

* Michelle Behana, of Freedom, PA, graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (Baccalaureate Nursing) from the College of Health Sciences and Professions;

* Patrick Boff, of Freedom, PA, graduated with a Master of Engineering Management from the Russ College of Engineering and Technology;

* Madeline Brown of Beaver, PA, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in anthropology and linguistics from the College of Arts and Sciences;

* Chad Cable of Aliquippa, PA, graduated with a Bachelor of Science majoring in psychology from the College of Arts and Sciences;

* Meredith Camp, of Beaver Falls, PA, graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Physiology of Exercise majoring in exercise physiology - pre-physical therapy from the College of Health Sciences and Professions;

* Devin Daley, of Conway, PA, graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration majoring in business analytics, management information systems, and marketing from the College of Business;

* Christian Petti, of Beaver Falls, PA, graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration majoring in marketing from the College of Business;

* Derek Weber, of Georgetown, PA, graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology and Management from the Russ College of Engineering and Technology.

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Ohio University announces spring 2021 graduates - The Times

Physiology

PET/CT Effective Measures NSCLC Biomarker, Predicts Therapy Response – Diagnostic Imaging

PET/CT images can non-invasively measure levels of a non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) biomarker, eliminating the need for biopsy and predicting the patients response to therapy.

Checkpoint inhibitors that target the PD1/PD-L1 signaling pathway are an effective treatment for NSCLC, but it only works in roughly half of patients. Investigators from Moffitt Cancer Center demonstrated, in a study published this week in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, that PET/CT can effectively assess the patients PD-L1 level, helping patients and providers to side-step the risks that come with invasive biopsy.

This study is important, as it is the single largest multi-institutional radiomic study population of NSCLC patients to date treated with immunotherapy to predict PD-L1 status and subsequent treatment response using PET/CT scans, said Robert Gillies, Ph.D., chair of Moffitts cancer physiology department. Because images are routinely obtained and are not subject to sampling bias per se, we propose that the individualized risk assessment information provided by these analyses may be useful as a future clinical decision support tool pending larger prospective trials.

For their study, the team examined PET/CT scans for nearly 700 patients who had NSCLC who were treated in three institutions. They assessed shape, size, pixel intensity, and textures to train a deep learning tool to accurately measure PD-L1 expression. Using the data, they developed a deep learning score that could predict PD-L1 expression which, after validation, could predict checkpoint inhibitor outcomes in these patients.

Their results point to the usefulness of using images as a replacement for biopsy, said Matthew Schabath, Ph.D., associate member of the cancer epidemiology department.

These data demonstrate the feasibility of using an alternative non-invasive approach to predict expression of PD-L1, he said. This approach could help physicians determine optimum treatment strategies for their patients, especially when tissue samples are not available or when common testing approaches for PD-L1 fail.

For more coverage based on industry expert insights and research, subscribe to the Diagnostic Imaging e-Newsletterhere.

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PET/CT Effective Measures NSCLC Biomarker, Predicts Therapy Response - Diagnostic Imaging

Physiology

Study Explored Benefits of Yoga in Chronic Low Back Pain – India Education Diary

Most of the yoga-based studies so far have relied on patients experience and rating of pain and disability as an indicator of recovery and better quality of life. Researchers who measured pain, pain tolerance and body flexibility have found that yoga leads to pain relief, increases tolerance of pain and improves flexibility in patients of chronic low back pain.

Dr Renu Bhatia, Additional Professor, Department of Physiology, AIIMS, New Delhi conducted research to measure the impact of yoga on Chronic Low Back Pain (CLBP) along with Dr Raj Kumar Yadav (Professor, Department of Physiology, AIIMS, New Delhi), Dr Sri Kumar V (Associate Professor, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, AIIMS, New Delhi).

The study conducted on 100 Chronic Low Back Pain (CLBP) patients of 50 years with 3 years of history of the disease. After systematic Yogic intervention of 4 weeks, Quantitative sensory testing (QST) showed increase in thresholds for cold pain and cold pain tolerance. Corticomotor excitability and flexibility improved significantly in the patients.

They recorded objective measures for pain (electrophysiology), sensory perception (quantitative computerized sensory testing) and cortical excitability parameters. (using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation of motor cortex).They found significant changes between all the parameters in CLBP patients compared to healthy controls at baseline. Significant improvement in all parameters was found after yoga.

This research supported by the Science and Technology of Yoga and Meditation (SATYAM) funded by the Department of Science and Technology, GoI has been recently published in theJournal of Medical Science and Clinical Research.

Assessment of pain and corticomotor excitability parameters shall help in establishing strong ground with scientific evidence for yoga to be prescribed as therapeutic intervention for chronic low back pain relief with or without standard therapy depending on the pathology. Also these parameters can be used for prognosis and follow-up of patients during recovery phase.

The team also developed yoga protocol for CLBP patients and for fibromyalgia patientsin Pain Research and TMS laboratory, AIIMS, New Delhi.

In patients with Chronic Low Back Pain, 4 weeks of yoga intervention improved pain status and pain-related functional disability, increased spinal flexibility and corticomotor excitability significantly more than standard care.

The study suggests that in long term Yoga can be performed at home, and hence is an inexpensive therapeutic intervention. It not only relieves pain but also improves overall quality of life and bestows other health benefits.

Dr. Renu Bhatia

Publication link:https://dx.doi.org/10.18535/jmscr/v9i3.30

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Study Explored Benefits of Yoga in Chronic Low Back Pain - India Education Diary

Physiology

Ocean warming could hit shark survival – The University of Manchester

Infant sharks that live in the familiar mermaids purses found on most beaches in the UK and throughout the world are more vulnerable to predation because of ocean warming, new research suggests.

According to Daniel Ripley from The University of Manchester, higher temperatures reduce freeze response times which the animals employ to avoid being eaten by predators.

The study by the ecophysiologist is funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and The University of Manchesters Knowledge and Innovation hub for Environmental stability

It is published in the Journal of Conservation Physiology today (17 June).

If an embryo employs a freeze response, it stops moving so that predators - including large fish and other sharks - wont detect them.

That explains why being able to elicit a freeze response is key to surviving predation during embryonic development and the longer an embryo can freeze, the better chance it has of not being detected by predators.

In the lab Ripley compared the freeze response time of small spotted catshark embryos - which are 7 to 8cm long - at a water temperature of 15C and a water temperature of 20C.

The 5C temperature rise resulted in a 7-fold decrease in the time the animals froze following a predator simuli, mimicked by gently flicking the egg case

And that could have major consequences for embryonic sharks in a warming world. Being able to freeze is key to avoiding predators and if warming means infant sharks will not be able to freeze as long, it could reduce the number of sharks surviving to adulthood.

Around 45% of shark and ray species lay eggs which grow inside a mermaids purse, which can last for around a year before they hatch

The purses come in various colours, shapes and textures, depending on the species of shark.

Beachcombers often spot the empty shell cases on the beach, though the live egg cases often lie tangled up with sea weed in shallow waters and rockpools.

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Ocean warming could hit shark survival - The University of Manchester

Physiology

AU research: Switching to plant-based diet protects against heart disease – The Augusta Chronicle

Cutting out animal protein in favor of a plant-based diet appears to change the makeup of bacteria in the gut and helps protect against salt-related heart disease, new research at Augusta University found. It also protected against a serious complication in pregnancy and the effect seems to be passed down to offspring, the researchers found.

The discovery in rats was actually unintended and came about because the researchers years ago were trying to find a more affordable feed for them, said Dr. David Mattson, chair of the Department of Physiology at Medical College of Georgia at AU. He and his colleagues were working with a rat specially bred to be sensitive to salt and to develop heart disease when fed a high-salt diet.

"They will start to develop cardiovascular disease," Mattson said. "They will start having heart failure, they will start having strokes. If we dont do something for them quite quickly, they will start to die, which completely parallels what is observed in salt-sensitive humans."

But when they switched the rats from a diet whose protein contained casein, a protein found in milk, to one with a wheat gluten protein, the animals didn't respond as they normally would. The researchers confirmed this by comparing the same type of rat fed the animal-protein diet to the grain-fed diet, said Dr. Justine Abais-Battad, an instructor in Physiology and lead author on the study in the journal Acta Physiologica.

The grain-fed rats "still are ingesting the same amount of salt but werent salt-sensitive any more," she said, while those on the animal protein diet developed heart disease and kidney damage, as expected.

The animals appear to have different bacteria in their guts as a results of the switch, a change in what is called the microbiome,Abais-Battad said.

"What Justine has shown here is this big switch in the microbiome," Mattson said, which are millions of different bacteria that help humans break down and digest food and perform other basic functions related to health. Unhealthy colonies of bacteria can lead to disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome, constipation and other problems, said Dr. Satish Rao, chief of gastroenterology and director of the Digestive Health Center at AU Health System.

But the diet switch also appears to have an effect in preeclampsia, Mattson said, a serious and potentially deadly complication in pregnancy where women develop high blood pressure and can have damage to the kidneys and liver. Post-doctoral fellow John Henry Dasinger's work showed that those fed the grain-based diet were protected while death "in these pregnant female rats was tremendous when fed the disease-promoting diet," Mattson said. That study was published in the journal Pregnancy Hypertension.

The takeaway from this is what people have been hearing all along, Abais-Battad said.

"People already know that these types of habits, these healthier choices would be protective" against heart disease, she said.

Interestingly, offspring from parents fed the grain-based diet also appear to have the protective effect even when fed the animal protein diet, Abais-Battad said.

"Even though all of the offspring were fed the same disease-promoting diet,those who came from the grain-fed parents, we actually saw a reduction in their disease over time," she said. The theory is they have inherited the bacterial makeup, the microbiome, from the parents, most likely Mom, Abais-Battad said.

"Theres a lot of literature demonstrating the transmission of microbiome from Mom to baby," she said. "We do think that likely is playing a big role in programming the offspring."

The question now becomes what the mechanism are behind the beneficial effect from the bacterial changes, Mattson said. The more beneficial bacteria produce different byproducts and those byproducts or metabolites "are really the key to whats happening downstream," he said. "So we are working to identify those molecules and how those molecules influence the biological function."

Being able to manipulate the microbiome has been the aim of a lot of research, Rao said.

"The big challenge, which has not been overcome to the best of my knowledge, is how do we change the gut microbiome?" he said.

Many of those efforts or interventions come after the person has already developed disease that might have its roots in earlier life, such as in obesity, Rao said.

"I think that is too late in the game," he said. "We need to really catch these youngsters, adolescents and so on, really at the very early stages."

In the case of the rat offspring, that will "start at the very beginning," Abais-Battad said.

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AU research: Switching to plant-based diet protects against heart disease - The Augusta Chronicle

Physiology

The world’s ‘biggest and deepest’ swimming pool is to be built. It will descend 164 feet – KOCO Oklahoma City

Related video above from 2020: Poland opens world's deepest pool that has a depth of 148 feetA UK company is to build what it says is the world's biggest and deepest pool, in a new project backed by British astronaut Tim Peake.The aptly named Blue Abyss pool will be built in Cornwall, south west England, and will hold 42 million liters of water equivalent to that of 17 Olympic size swimming pools, or 168 million cups of tea, the company said.It will be 164 feet (50 meters) deep, 164 feet long, and 131 feet (40 meters) wide.Keen swimmers hoping to test out the $211 million pool may be disappointed, however, as the Blue Abyss is designed to simulate "extreme environments."It will be set up for testing the latest underwater technology, including subsea robotics and mini submersibles.The pool will also be used to help train astronauts and deep sea divers, with hypobaric and hyperbaric chambers and a microgravity suite on site.John Vickers, chief executive of Blue Abyss, said in a statement the pool would be a "huge research asset for aerospace, offshore energy, underwater robotics, human physiology, defense, leisure and marine industries, and a fantastic education center for children and university students."Tim Peake, who was the first British astronaut to board the International Space Station in 2015 and spent six months in space and ran a marathon on a treadmill while there sits on the Blue Abyss board.He said in a statement he was "proud" to be part of its development, adding that Blue Abyss would "widen our knowledge of how humans and technology can function in extreme environments, for the benefit of people and the planet."Underwater film setsThe facility has been designed by British architect Robin Partington, who led the design team for The Gherkin, which is based in London's financial district and is one of the city's most famous buildings.It will be built with a sliding roof large enough for a crane to lower large objects into the pool for testing -- including "simulated sections of the International Space Station," underwater cave systems that can put remote operated vehicles to the test, and even underwater film sets.The pool's salinity, currents, lighting and temperature will also be controlled at different levels in order to simulate various underwater conditions.Applications for planning permission are ongoing but Blue Abyss said in a press release it aimed to open the site in 2023.In December, Poland opened what it said at the time was the world's deepest pool with a depth of 148 feet and enough space for 8,000 cubic meters of water.The Deepspot pool, a practice site for divers, has a simulated "blue hole" running down to its deepest point, and contains a small shipwreck, artificial underwater caves and mock Mayan ruins.

Related video above from 2020: Poland opens world's deepest pool that has a depth of 148 feet

A UK company is to build what it says is the world's biggest and deepest pool, in a new project backed by British astronaut Tim Peake.

The aptly named Blue Abyss pool will be built in Cornwall, south west England, and will hold 42 million liters of water equivalent to that of 17 Olympic size swimming pools, or 168 million cups of tea, the company said.

It will be 164 feet (50 meters) deep, 164 feet long, and 131 feet (40 meters) wide.

Keen swimmers hoping to test out the $211 million pool may be disappointed, however, as the Blue Abyss is designed to simulate "extreme environments."

It will be set up for testing the latest underwater technology, including subsea robotics and mini submersibles.

The pool will also be used to help train astronauts and deep sea divers, with hypobaric and hyperbaric chambers and a microgravity suite on site.

John Vickers, chief executive of Blue Abyss, said in a statement the pool would be a "huge research asset for aerospace, offshore energy, underwater robotics, human physiology, defense, leisure and marine industries, and a fantastic education center for children and university students."

Courtesy Cityscape Digital

Tim Peake, who was the first British astronaut to board the International Space Station in 2015 and spent six months in space and ran a marathon on a treadmill while there sits on the Blue Abyss board.

He said in a statement he was "proud" to be part of its development, adding that Blue Abyss would "widen our knowledge of how humans and technology can function in extreme environments, for the benefit of people and the planet."

The facility has been designed by British architect Robin Partington, who led the design team for The Gherkin, which is based in London's financial district and is one of the city's most famous buildings.

It will be built with a sliding roof large enough for a crane to lower large objects into the pool for testing -- including "simulated sections of the International Space Station," underwater cave systems that can put remote operated vehicles to the test, and even underwater film sets.

The pool's salinity, currents, lighting and temperature will also be controlled at different levels in order to simulate various underwater conditions.

Applications for planning permission are ongoing but Blue Abyss said in a press release it aimed to open the site in 2023.

In December, Poland opened what it said at the time was the world's deepest pool with a depth of 148 feet and enough space for 8,000 cubic meters of water.

The Deepspot pool, a practice site for divers, has a simulated "blue hole" running down to its deepest point, and contains a small shipwreck, artificial underwater caves and mock Mayan ruins.

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The world's 'biggest and deepest' swimming pool is to be built. It will descend 164 feet - KOCO Oklahoma City