HRR - Gap - IM-104: Evaluate immune dysfunction on missions greater than six months.

NASA Logo Human Research Roadmap HRP Exploration Data

Evidence MDRP Risks Gaps Tasks Reports

Explore Search

IM-104: Evaluate immune dysfunction on missions greater than six months.

Content in this Gap was merged from 1 other Gap

Last Published: 07/30/21 01:05:31 PM (Central)

Responsible Element: Human Health Countermeasures (HHC)

Status: Open

Description

Present state of knowledge: Some functional immune changes that are seen during spaceflight occur early in the mission and resolve later in flight. As example of this phenomenon, some upstream measures of T cell function that occur within the first 24 hours of cell activation (early blastogenesis) are almost universally depressed during the early adaptation phase of spaceflight, but resolve after 6 months on orbit. However, other functional immune changes, such as downstream measures of T cell function including protein formation and secretion, remain depressed for the duration of a 6-month spaceflight. Concurrent with these immune observations, the reactivation of latent VZV, considered ‘atypical’ and medically significant, persists for the duration of a 6-month spaceflight. Since an exploration mission to Mars will last several years, it is important to understand what immune changes would persist beyond 6 months of flight, and which, if any, immune parameters would worsen with this longer-duration exposure to the spaceflight environment. Very little data exist at present for missions beyond 6 months.

Research approach: A robust set of immune measures that have been validated during several previous studies on ISS crewmembers have been incorporated into the spaceflight Standard Measures project and will be collected from crewmembers assigned to missions lasting 12 months.

Target for Closure

Determine the effect of prolonged spaceflight (> 6 months) on human immunity

Mappings

Risk of Adverse Health Event Due to Altered Immune Response

IM-104: Evaluate immune dysfunction on missions greater than six months.

Active

Consequences of longterm-confinement and hypobaric hypoxia on immunity in the Antarctic Concordia Environment: from observations to mechanisms

Task Book: Entry Unavailable
Principal Investigator: Crucian, Brian

Short Title: CHOICE II study

Responsible HRP Element: Human Health Countermeasures

Collaborating Org(s):

International Partner

Funding Status: Active - Currently funded and in progress

Procurement Mechanism(s):

Solicited

Aims:

CHOICE II, is a follow up from a previous study in response to an ESA AO-CONCORDIA in 2007. That earlier proposal "CHOICE" (here further designated as CHOICE I) was implemented and successfully completed at CONCORDIA between 2008 and 2011 (end of experiment). As a logical consequence from these first and integrative observations demonstrating significant changes in immune and neuroendocrine parameters in the overwintering crew members, we are now focussing on deepening our understanding of these first observations using novel functional and molecular tests and analyses. They will help to decipher some of the mechanisms of adaptation to confinement under hypobaric hypoxia.

Resources (Other)

Deliverables (1)

Characterizing the Baselines of Sleep Quality, Cognitive / Operational Performance, Immune Function, and Intracranial Fluids for Deep Space Expeditions

Task Book: Entry
Principal Investigator: Zhang, Quan

Short Title: CIPHER Baselines of Sleep, Cognitive, Immune Function, Intracranial Fluid

Responsible HRP Element: Human Factors and Behavioral Performance

Collaborating Org(s):

Funding Status: Active - Currently funded and in progress

Procurement Mechanism(s):

Solicited

Aims:

This study is part of the 1-Year Mission complement of studies led by the NASA Human Research Program. This study is based on the premise that sleep serves as the central physiological regulator of cognitive / behavioral, neurophysiological, and immune functions. Therefore, the study of sleep quality and duration on orbit may yield important insights into etiology and mechanisms of adverse cognitive/behavioral, space flight associated neuro-ocular syndrome (SANS), and immunological responses during long duration deep space exploration missions. We therefore propose to use an integrated approach combining assessments of (1) sleep quality and duration, (2) intracranial fluids distribution, (3) cognitive performance, and (4) immunological response, (5) changes in these physiological measures relative to sleep quality and duration. We propose to collect data on crewmembers participating in integrated one-year mission project (i1YMP) aboard the International Space Station (ISS), and demographically matched control subjects in Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) for missions of similar durations. The outcomes of the study will contribute to quantification of crew health and performance risks associated with human spaceflight, and aid in development of technologies for monitoring and mitigating crew health and performance. Specific aims include:

Characterize cognitive and operational task performance changes during the i1YMP on the ISS.
Characterize brain and systemic physiology changes during i1YMP on the ISS.
Characterize the effects of sleep duration and quality on cerebral and whole-body hemodynamics on ISS and in HERA.
Quantify the effects of sleep duration and quality on immune response.

Resources (Ground Analog, Flight)

Deliverables (1)

The impact of human spaceflight on clonal hematopoiesis

Task Book: Entry
Principal Investigator: Guzman, Monica

Short Title: Clonal Hematopoiesis

Responsible HRP Element: Human Health Countermeasures

Collaborating Org(s):

Funding Status: Active - Currently funded and in progress

Procurement Mechanism(s):

Solicited

Aims:
Specific Aim 1: Determine how spaceflight impacts the expansion of clonal hematopoiesis (CH) in astronauts before, during, and after spaceflight.

Specific Aim 2: Test for increased inflammatory biomarkers in the presence of clonal hematopoiesis (CH).

Resources (Other)

Deliverables (1)

Completed

Consequences of Long-term Confinement and Hypobaric Hypoxia on Immunity in the Antarctic Concordia Environment (CHOICE)

Task Book: Entry
Principal Investigator: Sams, Clarence

Short Title: Choice

Responsible HRP Element: Human Health Countermeasures

Collaborating Org(s):

Funding Status: Completed - Task completed and produced a deliverable

Procurement Mechanism(s):

Directed

Aims:
In the unique environment of the Concordia station, stress-dependent immune-modulation due to both confinement and hypoxia can be simultaneously investigated with the following aims:

Assessment and understanding of stress-associated immune changes that results from confinement living under moderate hypobaric hypoxia comparable to those possible living situations in future lunar habitats where air pressure and oxygen may be lowered for technical and financial reasons.
Work out for the rationale for the development of adequate countermeasures to counterbalance the potential risk of confinement and hypoxia-induced immune and health changes.

Integration/Unique Aspects: TBD

Resources (Ground Analog)

Deliverables (1)

Planned-Funded

Immune Countermeasures Validation - Flight

Task Book: Entry Unavailable
Principal Investigator: Crucian, Brian

Short Title: Flight Immune CM Validation

Responsible HRP Element: Human Health Countermeasures

Collaborating Org(s):

Funding Status: Planned-Funded - Task expected to be within budget

Procurement Mechanism(s):

Directed

Solicited

Aims:
Multiple lines of evidence indicate that immune dysregulation exists during spaceflight. The mid-point Integrated Immune data indicate that this phenomenon persists during long-duration spaceflight. Should the data indicate that countermeasures development be required, such development would first occur using ground- analogs.

1. This study placeholder is for in-flight validation of the developed countermeasures. Such validation should occur, using the ISS platform, prior to the initiation of exploration-class deep space missions.

Integration/Unique Aspects: TBD

Resources (Flight)

Deliverables (1)

Multi-Disciplinary Research Plans

Documentation:

No Documentation Available

Related Gaps (17)

Print View...

Risk Approach Plans (1)

NASA Developer: Daniel Febus Responsible NASA Official: Susan Torney Contact HRP for a 508 compliant PDF Budgets, Strategic Plans, and Accountability Reports Equal Employment Opportunity Data Posted Pursuant to the No Fear Act Information-Dissemination Policies and Inventories Freedom of Information Act President's Management Agenda Privacy Policy & Important Notices Inspector General Hotline Contact HRP Human Health and Performance DIR Johnson Space Center USA.gov ExpectMore.gov

Ground-Based Flight Analogs	Controlled Research Analog, Short Duration (2 months or less) – isolated and confined with spaceflight mission scenario [e.g., HERA, NEEMO]
Number of Subjects	30

Ground-Based Flight Analogs	ICE Field Analog, Long Duration (4 months or more) – isolated, confined and extreme; may not have spaceflight mission scenario [e.g., Antarctica]
Number of Subjects	12

Common Item(s)
	Risk of Adverse Health Event Due to Altered Immune Response