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5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2026

Beyond Earth: Recent Advancements in Microgravity Biomedical and Genetic Research in Saudi Arabia.

Microgravity research has emerged as a rapidly evolving field at the intersection of space medicine, genomics, biotechnology, and precision medicine. Exposure to the space environment induces complex physiological and molecular adaptations that affect multiple biological systems, including immune regulation, metabolism, musculoskeletal function, and gene expression. Recent advances in genomics, multi-omics technologies, artificial intelligence, and bioengineering have substantially improved our understanding of biological adaptation to spaceflight and expanded opportunities for translational biomedical research. This review summarizes recent advances in genetic and biomedical research under microgravity conditions, with particular emphasis on molecular mechanisms, omics technologies, genome editing, microbiome research, regenerative medicine, and personalized healthcare approaches. Major experimental platforms, landmark spaceflight studies, and translational applications in infectious diseases, cancer biology, aging, tissue engineering, and pharmaceutical development are discussed. The review also highlights Saudi Arabia's emerging contributions to genomic medicine and space biosciences through initiatives such as the Saudi Human Genome Program, the Saudi Pangenome Project, the Saudi Space Agency, and the BioGravity Initiative. Recent Saudi participation in human spaceflight and microgravity-associated biomedical research is discussed within the context of Vision 2030 and national investments in biotechnology and precision medicine. Collectively, advances in microgravity research are expected to contribute to the advancement of precision medicine and facilitate the development of innovative diagnostic and therapeutic strategies with significant implications for both human space exploration and terrestrial healthcare.

Humans↗
PubMed2026

Selective saccular plasticity under microgravity links peripheral transcriptomic remodeling to postflight vestibular dysfunction.

Long-duration exposure to microgravity disrupts human balance and spatial orientation, yet the molecular mechanisms underlying vestibular adaptation to spaceflight remain poorly understood. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the saccule, the primary gravity-sensing otolith organ, undergoes selective remodeling during spaceflight and contributes to transient postflight postural instability. Using a cross-species approach, we combined transcriptomic analysis of mouse otolith organs with physiological assessments in astronauts. Laser microdissection-based RNA sequencing of mouse otolith sensory epithelia after a 35-d spaceflight revealed pronounced, organ-specific transcriptomic remodeling in the saccule, whereas the utricle remained stable. Principal component and clustering analyses demonstrated that the saccular transcriptome shifted toward an utricle-like profile under microgravity, accompanied by changes in genes related to synaptic and neuronal function. Promoter motif analysis identified NFAT-associated transcriptional networks, suggesting Ca2+-dependent regulation of synaptic plasticity as a potential molecular substrate of gravity-dependent adaptation. In parallel, vestibular testing in astronauts following long-duration missions (157 to 328 d) revealed selective attenuation of saccule-mediated cervical vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials and increased postural sway immediately after return to Earth, while utricle-mediated responses and semicircular canal function were preserved. Both saccular function and postural stability recovered within approximately 10 d. Notably, early postflight postural instability was partially mitigated by noisy galvanic vestibular stimulation, consistent with stochastic resonance-mediated sensory enhancement. Together, these findings identify the saccule as a plastic gravity sensor and establish a mechanistic link between peripheral molecular remodeling and functional balance deficits after spaceflight, providing a framework for developing countermeasures to facilitate vestibular readaptation during human space exploration.

Animals↗
PubMed2025

Methodologies for Mitochondrial Omic Profiling During Spaceflight.

To be able to understand how spaceflight can affect human biology, there is a need for maximizing the amount of information that can be obtained from experiments flown to space. Recently there has been an influx of data obtained from astronauts through multi-omics approaches based on both governmental and commercial spaceflight missions. In addition to data from humans, mitochondrial specific data is gathered for other experiments from rodents and other organisms that are flown in space. This data has started to universally demonstrate that mitochondrial dysfunction is the key regulator associated with increasing health risks associated with spaceflight. This mitochondrial dysfunction can have influence downstream on immune suppression, inflammation, circadian rhythm issues, and more. Due to the space environment, standard methodologies have to be altered for performing mitochondrial specific analysis and in general sample collection for omics. To perform mitochondrial specific analysis and data collection from samples flown to space we will outline the current sample collection methods, processing of the samples, and specific analysis. Specifically we will highlight the different mitochondrial methodologies and challenges involved with research associated with spaceflight.

Space Flight↗
PubMed2025

Nanobioreactor detection of space-associated hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell aging.

Human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) fitness declines following exposure to stressors that reduce survival, dormancy, telomere maintenance, and self-renewal, thereby accelerating aging. While previous National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) research revealed immune dysfunction in low-earth orbit (LEO), the impact of spaceflight on human HSPC aging had not been studied. To study HSPC aging, our NASA-supported Integrated Space Stem Cell Orbital Research (ISSCOR) team developed bone marrow niche nanobioreactors with lentiviral bicistronic fluorescent, ubiquitination-based cell-cycle indicator (FUCCI2BL) reporter for real-time HSPC tracking in artificial intelligence (AI)-driven CubeLabs. In month-long International Space Station (ISS) missions (SpX-24, SpX-25, SpX-26, and SpX-27) compared with ground controls, FUCCI2BL reporter, whole-genome and transcriptome sequencing, and cytokine arrays demonstrated cell-cycle, inflammatory cytokine, mitochondrial gene, human repetitive element, and apolipoprotein B mRNA editing enzyme, catalytic polypeptide-like 3 (APOBEC3) deregulation together with clonal hematopoietic mutations. Furthermore, HSPC functionally organized multi-omics aging (HSPC-FOMA) analyses revealed reduced telomere maintenance, adenosine deaminase acting on RNA1 (ADAR1) p150 self-renewal gene expression, and replating capacity indicative of space-associated HSPC aging that may limit long-duration spaceflight.

Humans↗
PubMed2026

Leveraging bioinformatics approaches for drug repositioning in space radiation protection.

The health effects of space radiation, primarily Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCRs), on humans remain largely unknown, with potential cardiovascular consequences posing a significant threat to astronauts on long-duration spaceflight missions. Currently, there are no established pharmacological countermeasures for GCR exposure. Drug repositioning offers a promising strategy to accelerate pharmaceutical research in space medicine. This study leverages existing bioinformatics techniques to identify and prioritize potential drug candidates associated with proteomic perturbations following simulated GCR exposure using previously published murine cardiac proteomic data. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed using the top differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) from murine heart tissue following exposure to 5-ion GCRs as seed nodes, focusing on experimentally supported interactions. Network topology, Markov clustering, and functional enrichment analyses were used to characterize biologically relevant proteins and pathways. Drug-protein interactions were predicted using Drugst.One and mapped to PPI clusters of interest to identify candidate drugs. Selected drug-macromolecule interactions were further explored using CB-Dock2 molecular docking and short-duration molecular dynamics simulations as hypothesis-generating structural assessments. Analysis of a key PPI network cluster consisting of several ATP synthase proteins identified 23 unique drug candidates. These analyses demonstrate a systematic approach for leveraging bioinformatics techniques to identify candidate molecular targets and generate pharmacological hypotheses in the context of space radiation countermeasures. Ultimately, this strategy introduces a hypothesis-generating framework for the prioritization of potential drug candidates for future computational characterization and experimental investigation against spaceflight stressors.

Animals↗