Invisible to the naked eye: Space omics and the need for sample collection guidelines
An entire world exists that can’t be seen with the naked eye, filled with microscopic building blocks that act as the pillars for all life. Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine supported by the Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH) aim to peer into this world and understand the impact of space travel on human health at the molecular level. The Genomic Evaluation of Space Travel and Research (GENESTAR) manual establishes guidelines for collecting omics data in a spaceflight context, outlining TRISH’s Space Omics program.
Space omics is the study of the effects of space travel on biological molecules such as cells, DNA, RNA and proteins. This burgeoning field differs from normal omics studies in that it takes the microgravity environment into account. With commercial spaceflight gaining popularity and accessibility, more knowledge can be gained about the impacts of the space environment on the human body. However, most data collected doesn’t reveal what happens at the molecular level. This matters because exposure to the space environment, including microgravity, radiation exposure, changing microbiome and other environmental factors, can induce subtle genetic, cellular and physiological changes and have consequences that we don’t yet fully understand.
“So, as we’re thinking about sending humans beyond low Earth orbit, we need to collect more data on people and how they react to the space environment. Compared to the advancements we have on the ground, there has been very little genetics and omics work done in the space context,” said Dr. Rihana Bokhari, scientific research director at TRISH and assistant professor at Baylor. “The real big picture is that we don’t do a lot of genetics research in the space field, so this is really a new foray into that.”
Having guidelines for collecting space omics data is important for ensuring that the samples are suitable for analysis. If samples are tainted at any point during the collection process, it can give inaccurate results. Additionally, consistency in sample collection across different phases during a mission and across different missions improves accuracy.
“For all these different assays, there are some minimum thresholds that must be met before samples are of acceptable quality. Otherwise, you will get compromised results and that means that your results will be biased,” said Dr. Harsha Doddapaneni, corresponding author of the paper and associate professor in Baylor’s Human Genome Sequencing Center.
GENESTAR also addresses concepts that haven’t been touched on in previous studies. For example, the manual includes the informed consent process.
“GENESTAR has some unique features. One of those is being able to offer the crews that are flying on private space missions a way to get their clinical whole genome sequencing reports,” Doddapaneni said.
The manual has already shown promising results from the Axiom-2 mission, validating the methods. Samples have also been collected from Axiom-3, allowing for comparisons.
TRISH is setting the foundation for omics research in space. GENESTAR guidelines for collecting biospecimens are critical to understanding how space travel affects humans at the molecular level and could be the key to guaranteeing human health and prosperity for generations of space travelers to come.
“We think that we can make new insights that can help reduce risks to human health in space through looking at genetics,” Bokhari said.
By Brian Olmo, communications fellow at the Translational Research Institute for Space Health
