Effects of Microgravity on Life Science

There's a lot of interest from the medical community on how things develop in?microgravity, and the hope, later, that is expected to apply to what the changes are in humans as well. -?Author: Linda M. Godwin

Over the years, it has been proven that the impact of the space environment upon living organisms is profound. Although, it is not only concerned with discovering the origin of life on Earth or finding extra-terrestrial forms of life in space but also with understanding how the conditions in Space shape life and how organisms are affected. With more astronaut and cosmonaut teams going into space, we now better understand how the space environment impacts biological systems. And how Microgravity is a crucial factor in all these scenarios.

Microgravity can improve our understanding of the physical universe as well as its biological implications. We know that in microgravity, muscle, and bone density decreases, and many people will recall prior astronauts being carried out of landing pods, unable to walk owing to difficulty maintaining blood pressure after long durations in microgravity. To counteract such microgravity-induced muscle atrophy and bone demineralization, astronauts undergo intense physical exercise training. However, not all life is affected by microgravity in the same manner, and depending on the species, the changes can be witnessed.

One such change has been witnessed by Dr. Szewczyk, from the Institute of Clinical Research in Derby, in collaboration with a Japanese team to investigate how worms react in space. The ultimate aim was to understand how microgravity influences astronauts on the ISS. Frozen C. elegans worms were sent to the ISS to test their neuromuscular signaling capability and post their return to Earth, their gene and protein expressions?were studied. As a result of this research, scientists observed that worms are unable to conduct neuromuscular signaling and could not move. The way environmental conditions affect gene behavior can help researchers understand what gene alterations could occur in microgravity.

Although responses to the circumstances of the space environment are still being explored, it has been repeatedly emphasized that they are profound and universal. Numerous studies at the molecular, cellular, tissue, organ, and species levels are currently underway to support future human space flight and explorations.

For instance, on a cellular level, many scientists are looking into how gravity impacts cell membranes' fluidity or viscosity. The findings reveal that in microgravity, the membrane becomes even more fluid. An intriguing side effect of this is how drugs affect human physiology under reduced gravity conditions. Because anesthetics and painkillers must integrate into the membrane but if the condition of the membrane changes?so does the integration of these drugs. For example, it is well known that medications like Ibuprofen and Lidocaine respond differently in microgravity. A new sector of therapeutic development in space has emerged as a result of taking these impacts into account.

The Space environment effects range from alterations in sub-cellular processes to changes in the structure and function of whole organ systems. The development of a modified bioreactor to enhance organ models is one of the most exciting developments in space organ research being carried out by NASA in collaboration with several medical communities. In microgravity, human colon, prostate, breast, and ovarian cancers have been created in this bioreactor. Also, normal tissues are also being produced, including bone marrow, heart muscle, skeletal muscle, pancreatic islet cells, liver cells, and kidney cells. As a result, such research opens up new avenues for pharmaceutical research as well as a novel understanding of biological systems.

Another significant shift in the space landscape has been the emergence of private companies with more commercially focused, cost-effective, and agile approaches. One of them is using "Organ-on-Chip" (OOC) technology, which is a cutting-edge and miniature technique to perform life science research in space. The technique uses a miniature microfluidic chip to simulate the activities, mechanics, and physiological responses of an organ to understand its functions that could otherwise take years on Earth. Moreover, they could enhance stratified medicine, the development of therapeutics for rare disorders, and nanomedicine. It is viewed as an intriguing in vitro alternative in the field of drug development for evaluating the effectiveness and safety of pharmaceuticals.

Despite years of diligent study, space biology research has a lot to offer. The planned and upcoming missions beyond LEO will make it feasible to advance confidently and safely into the upcoming chapter?of human space exploration by building upon the legacy and technology of the past and present. Research on bone density in microgravity, the discovery of new drugs and therapeutics, agricultural innovation in stress conditions, and the slowing of aging issues are potential future benefits. This development will have a major economic impact on society and boost public health for longer life expectancy.

In light of this, the space sector is growing rapidly, and there are promising possibilities for R&D projects that will have a big impact shortly. These projects?are crucial for both human deep-space exploration and improving living conditions on Earth. Given that the pharmaceutical business is increasingly participating in the commercialization of space, it is anticipated that the use of microgravity as a research tool in the life sciences will rise soon. We should indeed?collaborate and work together to?push for space life sciences across governments, academia, and business if we are to take advantage of these upcoming prospects.