2023-09-13 15:15:28
Medicine from space to stay young. Living a few months in space accelerates aging and causes changes that usually occur in 10-20 years of life on earth, with deleterious effects on the eyes, heart, DNA and metabolism. But from the numerous ailments that affect astronauts upon returning from space, linked to the absence of gravity and the production of free radicals, useful indications can be obtained for preventing and treating diseases of aging on earth.
Space medicine is providing new precision tools to combat this phenomenon through the personalization of drugs, physical activity and diet based on the molecular profile of the individual. These are the themes at the center of the conference “Building a civilization in space”, organized by the Menarini International Foundation with NASA, Sovaris Aerospace and The Foundation for Gender-Specific Medicine at the Fortezza da Basso in Florence from today to 15 September.
Artificial intelligence programs capable of diagnosing diseases even before the symptoms appear, liquid biopsies which with a single blood sample can recognize the ‘signs’ of different types of cancer, digital twins with which to predict the evolution of diseases and new telemedicine systems to intervene remotely. All innovations designed for astronauts, but which in the not too distant future will also be able to help us ‘terrestrials’.
“The continuity of our existence on earth faces an uncertain future – explains Marianne Legato, president of the conference, professor emerita of Internal Medicine at Columbia University, head of the Foundation for Gender-Specific Medicine in New York – Climate change, the exhaustion of important raw materials, the invasion of infectious agents for which we have no defense and, ultimately, the collapse of the sun itself, are all possible scenarios that make it imperative to explore alternative worlds – he underlines – on which to survive and prepare for the humanity to life on other celestial bodies. Preparing for this change is therefore fundamental from a medical, scientific, ethical and political point of view.”
Space medicine will be among the topics at the center of the conference because extraterrestrial life is like a stress test that tests every single cell in our organism. “Those traveling in space face two main challenges: microgravity and oxidative stress, i.e. an increase in free radicals to such a level as to compromise the cell’s antioxidant capacity and cause damage to DNA – states Michael A. Schmidt, CEO and scientific director by Sovaris Aerospace – In response to all this, human physiology changes to adapt and the result is a strong acceleration of aging by up to 10-20 years.”
Years of research on astronauts have shown that “oxidative stress derived, in particular, from ionizing radiation – continues Schmidt – which penetrates thousands of cells at high doses, alters the function of mitochondria, the cell’s energy production unit, and the metabolism of carbohydrates and lipids. Furthermore, it damages DNA, modifies the expression of genes and alters the length of telomeres, the ‘caps’ that protect chromosomes from degradation and which influence longevity.”
“Microgravity eliminates the impact of the load on the bones and muscles – recalls the expert – and causes a loss of bone mass. Furthermore, it favors a redistribution of fluids towards the upper part of the body which increases the risk of thrombosis and problems with sight. To compensate for these changes, the heart functions differently and loses contractility, while the left ventricle tends to become smaller and the walls of the arteries stiffen.”
“The Menarini International Foundation is happy to promote this event, one of a kind, which combines the latest innovations in space research with the ethical, political and legal challenges that await humanity – comments Alessandro Casini, president of the Menarini International Foundation – A difficult attempt , but certainly innovative and interesting.”
The conference will also shine a spotlight on the mental health of people who will live and work in orbit or in permanent bases on the lunar surface in the coming decades. The event will see doctors, psychologists and biologists face to face with astronauts, including the Italian Roberto Vittori, engineers, astronomers, historians, physicists and ethics experts, to discuss in a multidisciplinary way the main challenges in the new era of space exploration . The proceedings of the seminar will be published in a volume published by Elsevier’s Academic Press, which aims to become a point of reference for all the actors involved in the new space race.
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