Agnirva Space Premier League - Expedition #31579: Boosting Immunity in Space: Investigating Cellular Defenses on the ISS

What happens to the human immune system in space? It’s a question with significant implications not just for astronauts but also for people on Earth. In the microgravity environment of the International Space Station (ISS), the human body undergoes numerous changes. One of the most concerning is the weakening of the immune system.

The experiment NanoRacks-The Investigation of Countermeasures to Modulate and Augment the Immune System, spearheaded by Dr. Alamelu Sundaresan from Texas Southern University, is a critical step toward understanding and potentially mitigating this effect.

This research investigates how specific countermeasures—like vitamins, proteins, or other immune-boosting agents—might help maintain immune function during long-duration space missions. This is especially crucial for future missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond, where resupply missions or access to medical help are extremely limited.

Spaceflight causes the body to experience altered immune responses. White blood cells, our body's natural defenders against infections, may function less effectively. Stress hormones also rise in microgravity, further suppressing immune functions. What Dr. Sundaresan's team aimed to find out is how to help astronauts fight back—literally.

By growing human immune cells in microgravity aboard the ISS and then applying various immune modulators, the team observed how these cells behaved. Did the treatments help maintain their functionality? Were there unexpected side effects? Could this knowledge inform future medications not just for astronauts but also for immunocompromised people on Earth?

The implications extend beyond space. If scientists discover a reliable way to boost immune response in such an extreme environment, those strategies could benefit patients undergoing chemotherapy, suffering from autoimmune diseases, or experiencing age-related immune decline.

Additionally, this experiment utilized the NanoRacks platform—a commercial service that makes it easier for researchers to send experiments to space without building a whole spacecraft. It's part of the growing trend of making space more accessible to universities and biotech firms.

This ISS-based immune research not only supports future astronauts but also contributes to global health research. It’s an excellent example of space science serving people back home.

Join the Agnirva Space Internship Program to learn how life science experiments are conducted in space, and how research aboard the ISS can transform medicine on Earth.

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