Cope, Henry
(2024)
Accelerating space life sciences via astronaut omics collection and integrated analyses.
PhD thesis, University of Nottingham.
Abstract
There are ambitious plans for human spaceflight on the horizon, including an increasingly diverse spacefaring population associated with a variety of commercial ventures, a return to the Moon, and deep-space voyages with the eventual goal of colonising Mars. Past missions - including continuous occupation of the International Space Station since the turn of the millennium - have highlighted stressors associated with spaceflight, such as altered gravity (including “microgravity”, which refers to the near-weightlessness experienced due to low gravitational forces, such as during continuous freefall within orbiting spacecraft), cosmic radiation, isolation, and confinement within a closed spacecraft environment. These spaceflight stressors incite a distinct set of molecular effects and associated physiological and psychological changes that elevate the risk of certain health issues in humans and other Earth-based life. Health risks include loss of performance due to degradation of bone and muscle, skin rashes, vision problems, and cognitive and psychiatric disorders. These changes occur dynamically throughout the course of a mission and manifest variably based on differences between individuals and environmental parameters. The changing landscape of human spaceflight necessitates investigation into the precise mechanisms behind these detrimental biological changes, so that the interplay of risk factors can be comprehensively understood and countermeasures can be developed to increase safety and the likelihood of success across missions.
On Earth ‘omics’, including genomics and transcriptomics, have emerged as powerful ‘Big data’ tools for elucidating the molecular patterns behind diseases, and in many cases for improving diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment capabilities. Similar approaches are now being explored in the context of space life sciences. There is a need to optimise the generation of new omics data, and the analysis of existing omics data, to maximise the scientific value of rare and expensive spaceflight missions and experiments.
As such, in this thesis I investigated gaps in data generation and data analysis capabilities in space life sciences. Regarding data generation, I identified a scarcity of multi-omic data from astronauts as a gap, investigated the topic through discussions with the international space life sciences community, and drafted recommendations for policy in the UK national, European, and the international context. This included investigation into the ethics of personal data in the context of biological and health data collected from astronauts. Regarding data analysis, I identified a need for strategies for maximising the utility of data, and led and contributed to analysis projects as a means of investigating this. In particular I focussed on transcriptomics, the most widespread omic type for space biology, and looked at integrated omics analyses, including pooling data from multiple missions, and analysing omics alongside phenotypic data to uncover mechanisms of spaceflight maladaptation; such approaches could be adapted to other spaceflight datasets, and could help to inform analysis strategies for the proposed multi-omic and multi-modal data generated from astronauts.
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