Routine omics collection is a golden opportunity for European human research in space and analog environments

doi:10.1016/j.patter.2022.100550

Patterns

Volume 3, Issue 10, 14 October 2022, 100550

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.patter.2022.100550 Get rights and content

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The bigger picture

Omic profiling of European human subjects in space—whether they be governmental or commercial—is primed to revolutionize space medicine, as it has with medicine on Earth. Improved occupational healthcare will be important for reducing risk and increasing mission success in ambitious endeavors, including voyages to Mars.

We believe that collaborative steps should be taken today to design a standardized data resource, which will continue to be useful in the future, as data science approaches evolve. From this perspective, we introduce considerations for a routine omics program for Europeans in space. These include which data types to collect, which sampling methods to use, and at which time points. Ethical and legal considerations of European personal omics data in the context of astronauts are also discussed, with the goal of creating a policy landscape where data can be as open as possible to maximize scientific potential but as closed as necessary to protect the data subjects.

Summary

Widespread generation and analysis of omics data have revolutionized molecular medicine on Earth, yet its power to yield new mechanistic insights and improve occupational health during spaceflight is still to be fully realized in humans. Nevertheless, rapid technological advancements and ever-regular spaceflight programs mean that longitudinal, standardized, and cost-effective collection of human space omics data are firmly within reach. Here, we consider the practicality and scientific return of different sampling methods and omic types in the context of human spaceflight. We also appraise ethical and legal considerations pertinent to omics data derived from European astronauts and spaceflight participants (SFPs). Ultimately, we propose that a routine omics collection program in spaceflight and analog environments presents a golden opportunity. Unlocking this bright future of artificial intelligence (AI)-driven analyses and personalized medicine approaches will require further investigation into best practices, including policy design and standardization of omics data, metadata, and sampling methods.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

multiomics

European Space Agency

commercial spaceflight

personalized medicine

International Space Station

longitudinal monitoring

GDPR

astronaut ethics

biobank

artificial intelligence

Data science maturity

DSML1: Concept: Basic principles of a new data science output observed and reported

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About the author

Henry Cope is a PhD student at the United Kingdom Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)-funded Horizon Centre for Doctoral Training at the University of Nottingham, UK. The research involves investigation of data science approaches for space biology, with the goal of improving human health in space. This includes analysis of spaceflight-derived biological datasets via bioinformatics and computer vision approaches. Additionally, barriers to data science in the field of space biology are considered, including standardization of data and metadata and the ethical and legal challenges pertaining to astronaut personal data.