Originally published July 10 2005
Female immune response studies for extended space missions
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Investigators with the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) are researching the immune system as part of the Women’s International Space Simulation for Exploration (WISE), in order to test immunity under space-travel conditions.
A bed-rest study with female participants will help scientists understand changes to the immune response and decreased resistance to infection in space.
Investigators with the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) are researching the immune system as part of the Women's International Space Simulation for Exploration (WISE), a collaborative venture that includes NASA, the European Space Agency, the Centre National D'Études Spatiales (French Space Agency) and the Canadian Space Agency.
The study is being carried out by the French Institute for Space Medicine and Physiology (MEDES) in Toulouse, France.
"It is clear from existing data that space flight conditions alter immune responses," said Dr. Gerald Sonnenfeld, a researcher on the NSBRI's Immunology, Infection and Hematology Team.
Changes in immunity could have serious effects on an astronaut's ability to resist infection and the development of tumors.
Possible causes for a compromised immune system include exposure to radiation and the effects of microgravity.
With current expeditions to the International Space Station for extended periods and future exploration missions to the moon and Mars, astronauts will be exposed to chronic radiation that could result in serious health problems.
Through tests taken before, during and after bed rest, he will gauge whether participants' white blood cells divide normally and whether messengers of the immune system, called cytokines, are produced.
Candidates in the first phase came from the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, The Netherlands and Poland.
Recruitment for another 12 volunteers, who are needed for the second campaign, is currently ongoing (http://www.medes.fr).
Participants lie with their heads tilted six degrees below horizontal so that their feet are slightly higher than their heads.
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