Page 162 - International Space Station Benefits for Humanity, 3rd edition.

B4H 3rd Edition

determine the quantity of the immune response
(as the cell cultures were mixed with a chemical
that caused a luminescent glow in the presence of
With Latent Viruses, oxygen). This allowed, for the very first time, the direct
the Best Defense is measurement of a cellular function in real time on orbit
a Strong Offense and thus time-relative progression of space adaptation.
Latent Virus determined that Based on real-time readings from the ISS, University
Economic
inactive viruses reactivate inside the Scientific of Zurich scientists were able to confirm that the
Valuation
human body during long-duration Valuation mammalian cells studied are able to respond to
spaceflight, potentially leading to illness changes in gravitational conditions extremely quickly
in crew members. Early detection of latent and thereafter continue to function. Although the
SCIENTIFIC
ECONOMIC
viruses allows crew members to employ immune defense collapsed as soon as zero gravity
VALUATION
VALUATION
hit, the defense cells made a full recovery within
countermeasures that boost immune 42 seconds. But how do the cells adapt? Gravity has
response to avoid illness during been an ever-present factor that has influenced life
exploration missions. since life started on our planet, so how would these
mechanisms exist? Weightlessness was not a factor
influencing evolution on Earth. Therefore, the results
raise more questions regarding the robustness of life
and its astonishing adaptability, and there is hope that
human cells are able to cope much better with zero
gravity than we previously thought. Of course, this also
Monitoring and Understanding Astronaut promotes a further scope of inquiry that crosses over
Immune Systems in Spaceflight into astrobiology: Could the rapid adaptation observed
Human
be an indication that such mechanisms did not, in
Results of European Space Agency (ESA)-supported Earth Observation Innovative Global Economic
Technology
Health
and Disaster
research have uncovered a quite surprising reaction fact, evolve on Earth, but could have potentially Education Development
Response
of cells to exposure to weightlessness, as well as been imported? of Space
demonstrated a device for monitoring immune system This research opens new avenues for exploring the
behavior during long-duration exploration missions adaptation of mammalian cells to gravitational changes.
where no viable chance of sample return for analysis This important research could help scientists develop
is possible. In 2015, the TripleLux-A experiment, which ways to manage or prevent changes in immune system
examined specific aspects of immune system function function, both in space and on Earth, through such
in space, was successfully performed on the ISS. areas as pharmaceutical intervention, especially in light
This experiment studied immune response in vertebrate of future long-duration human exploration missions
organisms; specifically, an immune system mechanism outside of low-Earth orbit. Since RhoGTPases (i.e.,a
whereby certain white blood cells engulf and destroy family of signaling proteins involved in a host of cell
“intruders” with a burst of reactive oxygen—a process functions) are interesting candidates to explain the
called phagocytosis. rapid adaptation of the oxidative burst reaction in
Immune response was stimulated in the cell cultures, weightlessness, these molecules should be considered
and a photon multiplier/photon counter was used to as targets for countermeasures against weightless-
related cellular dysfunction. However, dynamic
monitoring of molecular activities in real weightlessness
is of crucial importance, and appropriate experiments
with real-time measurements onboard the ISS will be
This research opens new the key to understand the molecular dynamics of
avenues for exploring the cellular adaptation to weightlessness in the future.
In addition, and linked to this, the bioluminescence light
adaptation of mammalian measurement device could potentially be adapted into
cells to gravitational changes. a tool for monitoring astronauts’ immune systems
during long-duration spaceflights. The TripleLux
investigations also acted as an opportunity to test
this device.

148