Biological & Physical Sciences Investigation:
AVATAR (A Virtual Astronaut Tissue Analog Response)
The AVATAR (A Virtual Astronaut Tissue Analog Response) investigation will use organ-on-a-chip units, or organ chips, to check the results of elevated radiation and microgravity on human well being.
NASA’s organ chip analysis will examine how completely different house stressors have an effect on tissue earlier than sending the primary people —Americans — to Mars. It may present helpful info for creating measures to guard astronaut well being on their journeys, akin to customized medical kits.
Learn More about Know Before We Go
Lisa Carnell
NASA’s Biological and Physical Sciences Division
ARTEMIS Science
Taking Personalized Medicine to New Heights
AVATAR is a collaboration between NASA, a number of authorities businesses, and trade companions that seeks to realize a deeper understanding of human biology and illness, preventative measures, and customized therapeutic therapies.
Learn More
Artemis Science: AVATAR
What Are Organ Chips?
Organ chips are roughly the dimensions of a USB drive and could possibly be used to foretell how a person may reply to a wide range of stressors, akin to radiation or medical therapies, together with prescribed drugs. Made with human cells, the chips mimic how tissues, such because the mind, coronary heart, liver, or dozens of different organs, work. NASA analysis will concentrate on validating and leveraging these fashions to evaluate the impacts of deep house stressors on astronauts’ well being.
Learn More about What Are Organ Chips?
Organ chips may assist guarantee crew well being on long-duration missions by figuring out individualized responses to deep house stressors and personalizing medical kits to future astronauts.
This analysis, mixed with different research on the well being and efficiency of Artemis II astronauts, will give NASA perception into find out how to defend astronauts as exploration expands to the floor of the Moon, Mars, and past.
Learn More about AVATAR Benefiting Space Exploration
ORGAN CHIP RESEARCH
Why We Study Bone Marrow
The AVATAR organ chips will comprise bone marrow tissue developed from the cells of Artemis II astronauts. Bone marrow is accountable for producing pink blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. This makes marrow an excellent pattern for diagnosing illnesses and gauging how an individual’s immune system responds to therapies.
Investigating how radiation impacts the bone marrow can present insights into how radiation remedy and different DNA-damaging brokers, akin to chemotheraputic medicine, impair blood cell formation. Its significance for each spaceflight and medication on Earth makes the bone marrow an excellent organ to check within the Artemis II AVATAR venture.
Learn More about Why We Study Bone Marrow
Artemis Science: AVATAR
A Passenger for Research
When the organ chips return from their Artemis flight, researchers will study how spaceflight affected the bone marrow chips by performing single-cell RNA sequencing, a robust approach that measures how 1000’s of genes change inside particular person cells.
For NASA, this analysis may present vital details about how every astronaut responds to the distinctive circumstances of house and inform the event of countermeasures and customized medical kits for future missions. For different authorities businesses and well being organizations, AVATAR may contribute to advances in safer and sooner drug testing, and customized medication on Earth.
(Photo Credit: Emulate)
Learn More
Artemis Science: AVATAR
A Passenger for Research
The Power of Partnerships
AVATAR is a collaborative effort between NASA, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) — which is a part of National Institutes of Health — and trade companions Space Tango and Emulate.
For NASA, this analysis may present helpful details about how every astronaut responds to the distinctive circumstances of house and inform the event of countermeasures and customized medical kits for future missions. For different authorities businesses and well being organizations, AVATAR may contribute to advances in safer and sooner drug testing, and customized medication on Earth.
Avatars for Astronaut Health to Fly on Artemis II
NASA introduced a trailblazing experiment that goals to take customized medication to new heights.
BPS Scientific Goal – Precision Health
Learn about these of the NASA corps who make “space sailing” their profession occupation.
BPS Scientific Goals Overview
Learn about these of the NASA corps who make “space sailing” their profession occupation.
6 min read
Artemis II Crew to Advance Human Spaceflight Research
Making Big Strides in Precision Health Care
Since organ chips are made straight from human cells, they’re thought of extra correct fashions for evaluating scientific and biomedical knowledge. They can be utilized to know how and why the human physique adapts to adjustments within the spaceflight surroundings and different excessive circumstances.
Organ Chips: Avatars for Human Health
Organ chips have been used on Earth and in house to check many different human organs and tissues, together with the mind, liver, coronary heart, lung, and plenty of extra
Biological & Physical Sciences Division
-
NASA’s Biological and Physical Sciences Division pioneers scientific discovery and permits exploration by utilizing house environments to conduct investigations not attainable on Earth. Studying organic and bodily phenomenon below excessive circumstances permits researchers to advance the elemental scientific information required to go farther and keep longer in house, whereas additionally benefitting life on Earth.