Study Reveals How Living in Space Can Impact Astronauts’ Immune Systems
London, August 27 – As humanity sets its sights on manned missions to the Moon and Mars, a recent study has shed light on a concerning issue: weightlessness in space can impair T-cells of the immune system, rendering them less effective in combatting infections.
The harsh environment of space presents numerous threats to human health, including alterations to the immune system that persist even after astronauts return to Earth. Researchers, in a study published in the journal Science Advances, have highlighted that this immune deficiency can make astronauts more susceptible to infections and even trigger the reactivation of latent viruses in their bodies.
Lisa Westerberg, the principal researcher at the Department of Microbiology, Tumour, and Cell Biology at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, emphasized the importance of understanding how space affects the immune system for the safety of future space missions. “If astronauts are to be able to undergo safe space missions, we need to understand how their immune systems are affected and try to find ways to counter harmful changes to it,” she stated.
To simulate the effects of weightlessness in space, researchers employed a method known as dry immersion, using a specially designed waterbed that tricks the body into perceiving a weightless environment.
Over the course of three weeks, T-cells in the blood of eight healthy individuals were examined during their exposure to simulated weightlessness. Blood analyses were conducted before the experiment began, at seven, 14, and 21 days into the experiment, and again at seven days after the experiment concluded.
The study revealed that T-cells significantly altered their gene expression after seven and 14 days of weightlessness. These alterations made the cells genetically more immature. The most significant effects were observed after 14 days. Carlos Gallardo Dodd, a doctoral student at the Institutet’s Department of Microbiology, Tumour, and Cell Biology, explained, “The T cells began to resemble more so-called naive T-cells, which have not yet encountered any intruders. This could mean that they take longer to be activated and thus become less effective at fighting tumour cells and infections. Our results can pave the way for new treatments that reverse these changes to the immune cells’ genetic program.”
While T-cells adapted their gene expression back to nearly normal after 21 days, analyses conducted seven days after the experiment ended indicated that some of the changes had returned.
This study underscores the critical need to address the impact of space travel on the human immune system as we move forward with ambitious missions beyond Earth.
