Reposted from U of U Health.

The International Space Station is an engineering marvel, designed to support human life in hostile conditions. But life in space—characterized by zero gravity and increased cosmic radiation exposure—poses serious health risks. Now, a team of NASA crew members and ground-based scientists are exploring blood clot prevention for astronauts on missions, with potential benefits for Earth-bound patients.

For years, researchers have known that astronauts faced an increased risk of blood clots, especially on longer missions, according to Matthew Rondina, professor of internal medicine and pathology at University of Utah Health and lead for the Utah-based site.

“As the duration that astronauts spend in space increases, we believe the risk of blood clots likely continues to accumulate,” Rondina said.

Blood clots were a particularly serious issue in the isolated environment of a space station, according to Hansjorg Schwertz, project lead and adjunct assistant professor of occupational medicine.

“You don’t want astronauts developing occlusive thrombi [blood clots] in space,” Schwertz said. It would require a lot complex logistics and treatment.

Science headed to space

In collaboration with NASA astronauts, Schwertz and Rondina will conduct experiments aboard the ISS to examine how spaceflight affects blood cells.

The team focused on platelets—cells directly involved in blood clotting—and megakaryocytes, which produce platelets in bone marrow. Researchers will analyze gene activity, proteins and functionality in these cells after they had been grown in space to determine how space exposure affected them.

The cells were launched into space on Nov. 4, following extensive ground-based research. The team had already studied platelets and megakaryocytes under simulated space conditions on Earth, using a particle accelerator to mimic cosmic galactic rays and a rotating container to replicate microgravity.

Preliminary findings suggested potential changes in platelet function, including genes related to inflammation, immune regulation, and cellular energy production. However, only real space conditions could confirm these results.

“Once they’re up there, we’ll be working in real-time with the astronauts for a lot of the experiments,” Rondina explained. “We’ll be doing a set of ground-based control experiments that completely mimic and parallel what’s occurring on the ISS.”

Matching the astronauts’ actions on Earth helped isolate the effects of space on the cells, as any difference between the ground and space cells could be attributed to the extraterrestrial environment.

Down-to-Earth implications

The results could have the potential to inform better health care for people both in space and on Earth

“This may allow us to identify new genes and pathways that regulate platelet production and clotting,” Rondina said. “We think a lot of those pathways likely have relevance to diseases that occur in normal gravity conditions.”

Since platelets also regulate immune functions, understanding them better could lead to insights into immune disorders.

After so much preparation, Schwertz added, the experiment’s launch into space feels akin to saying farewell to a family member.

“There’s sadness because this part is done now,” he said, “but also so much excitement and thankfulness for how it worked out so far.”

• Sophia Friesen Manager, Science Communications, University of Utah Health
  ‭(510) 495-7528‬ sophia.friesen@hsc.utah.edu