Sea Level Testing has begun!

This Friday marked the end of a successful first week of Sea Level Testing at the London Clinic. The purpose of the testing is to capture a baseline of data from each research subject taking part in the Xtreme Everest 2 expedition.

The data collected at altitude will be compared to this baseline data to enable the researchers to identify and explore the differences in our physiology. Around 200 adults and children will pass through the laboratory in December and January prior to the Spring expedition to the Everest region in 2013. The adults will include some identical twins, some of whom were present in the first few days of our testing.

Subjects undergo a huge variety of tests related to around 60 separate research protocols. They are put on exercise bikes, have their ECGs taken, and give blood, saliva, hair sputum, and urine samples. The research team will be looking at forearm blood flow, nitric oxide levels, lung function, and skeletal muscle oxygenation. Ultrasound techniques are also used to look at muscle density and blood flow to the brain. As well as this, subjects undergo a variety of tests to examine the workings of the nose and throat, in order to see how this changes at altitude. Finally a small number of individuals also provide muscle biopsies.

So far during Sea Level Testing, the team have been visited by BBC World TV and have had interviews with journalists from the broadsheet newspapers. The media interest is increasing and we are booking increasing numbers of interviews and film crews for our Sea Level testing so do look out for us on TV, in newspapers and in magazines in the coming weeks!

The gallery below includes some pictures of our trekkers being tested. If you are interested in taking part in this testing there are still places available on our treks. Please click here to find out more.