Grants and Contributions

During spaceflight, astronauts experience deconditioning; the simultaneous reduction of the functional capacity of multiple body systems leading to weakness and inability to perform activities. Impairments span multiple systems from cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, to immunity all contributing to deconditioning. The scarcity of astronauts’ biological samples combined with technical challenges in space hampers our ability to monitor how the human body copes with space hazards. However, head-down tilt (HDT) bed rest studies represent an Earth-based analogue to microgravity and an opportunity to decipher the molecular mechanisms leading to deconditioning. The research team secured access to European Space Agency (ESA) data collected for the monitoring of participants. We will apply machine-learning algorithms to integrated ESA data and gene expression data collected from the same participants by our Team. Results will reveal predictor and physiological responses for early detection of deconditioning and for the design of interventions to prevent the negative effects of microgravity.

Leveraging data from over 20 Antarctic campaigns and a control study in an Arctic community, the research team proposes to conduct a comprehensive study aimed at unravelling the complex interplay of factors that impact sleep in isolate confined extreme environments and to examine fatigue and fatigue prediction in this context, which would support the developing potential countermeasures for health risks in human spaceflight as well as potential performance-enhancing measures. By applying Earth-based analogs, the study will provide insights directly relevant to the risks of future Canadian investigations on the International Space Station or Lunar Gateway.

The recent observation of a blood clot forming in the neck vein of an astronaut on the International Space Station could have been related to low or stagnant blood flow in the vein as astronauts no longer have a head-to-heart gravitational gradient during spaceflight. The current study will use novel high-frame rate ultrasound investigations of blood flow in the neck vein during parabolic flights that replicate the microgravity conditions of spaceflight. From the ultrasound signals, the research team will use vector flow imaging to assess across the full width of the vessel the potential for areas of stagnant flow that could elevate the risk for blood clot formation. These results could lead to an inflight diagnostic screening test and a tool for evaluation of potential countermeasures to prevent this serious health risk for astronauts.

Extended exposure to the isolated and extreme conditions at the Concordia station may induce mental fatigue, a state associated with mood disturbances, safety concerns, and work errors. The BREEZE-project aims to comprehensively evaluate mental fatigue, sleep, and physical fitness during an Antarctic overwintering campaign by tracking psychological, (neuro)physiological, and behavioral parameters. Assessments will include questionnaires on fatigue, sleepiness, coping strategies, and mood, as well as polysomnography, exercise heart rate, genotype analysis, arterial oxygen saturation, actigraphy, and activity diaries. The study will focus on interindividual differences and their stability over time. Additionally, two countermeasures will be tested: acetazolamide supplementation to improve sleep quality and reduce mental fatigue, and oxygen-enriched physical exercise to enhance performance and consequently mitigate fatigue. Ultimately, the project aims to map mental fatigability changes and elucidate genotype-related variability in response to extreme environments. This multidisciplinary approach will advance understanding of fatigue mechanisms and inform development of effective interventions.

Injury or complete tear to the Achilles tendon happens often after being in bed for a long time (e.g. if one needs to stay in bed for a long time because one is very sick). Astronauts in space have the same problem because being in low gravity is like being in bed. This project will find out whether providing a treatment with artificial gravity (using a human centrifuge) combined with either cycling while in bed or exercising while the whole body is being vibrated can help stop an Achilles injury after bedrest. The research team will also find out if there is a difference in the effect of resting in bed in men versus women.

The loss of skeletal muscle mass and function is a major public health concern, reducing quality of life and independence for many individuals. Both on Earth and during spaceflight, muscle unloading leads to atrophy, loss of strength, and glucose intolerance. The project aims to uncover the cellular mechanisms driving muscle atrophy during unloading and inactivity, such as prolonged bed rest, using advanced RNA-sequencing technologies. Furthermore, the research team will also investigate the underlying protective effects of an exercise countermeasure. By performing long-read RNA-seq analyses on a well-characterized cohort of participants, they will generate valuable scientific knowledge that could pave the way for new treatments to prevent or combat muscle atrophy and weakness. These findings will not only help astronauts stay healthy during space missions but also benefit people on Earth who experience muscle loss due to immobilization, critical illnesses, or chronic diseases like diabetes and cancer.

This project will analyze pre-existing data collected by the Bio-Monitor biometric shirt in nine astronauts (two women) before, during and after missions to the International Space Station. Specific goals of this project include the un-intrusive assessment of astronaut sleep, fitness and blood pressure continually over long-duration (48-hour) recordings. Sleep is paramount to astronaut health, with numerous pre-existing reports of impaired sleep during flight. By assessing how sleep changes over the course of a mission with previously validated analyses, strategies to improve sleep quality could be developed. Astronaut fitness can be measured from Bio-Monitor signals. Finally, these analyses will allow for improved understandings of changes to astronaut health over the course of 6-month missions; they will also support the use of the Canadian-produced Bio-Monitor shirt for future missions to the moon.

The objective of this AO is to support Canadian students to participate in national and international space conferences and training events that will offer them the opportunity to learn about and be involved in the latest developments in space science and technology, to develop their professional network, and in some cases, present their research results at the national and international level.

The objective of this AO is to support Canadian students to participate in national and international space conferences and training events that will offer them the opportunity to learn about and be involved in the latest developments in space science and technology, to develop their professional network, and in some cases, present their research results at the national and international level.

The objective of this AO is to support Canadian students to participate in national and international space conferences and training events that will offer them the opportunity to learn about and be involved in the latest developments in space science and technology, to develop their professional network, and in some cases, present their research results at the national and international level.