Routine omics collection is a golden opportunity for European human research in space and analog environments

How to obtain an integrated picture of the molecular networks involved in adaptation to microgravity in different biological systems?

“…For example, using such data, a recent ESA Space Omics Topical Team study has confirmed cross-tissue coordination underlying omic changes in mice in flight 23 . In terms of human subjects, the ESA Space Omics Topical Team has recently suggested that this should be a priority 19 , 24 , a view we support. Further, cross-species analysis should be encouraged in order to facilitate translational relevance.…”

Enhancing European capabilities for application of multi-omics studies in biology and biomedicine space research

“…As such, in a recent manuscript from members of the ESA-funded Space Omics Topical Team, a number of considerations were introduced and a set of questions were suggested to motivate further discussion among experts and stakeholders. 25 The first subset of questions aims to initiate discussion of the possible collection routines from astronauts and spaceflight participants, decide on the omics data to collect, from which samples, and at which time points. These questions and some initial thoughts are listed below.…”

“…- For frequent sampling, particularly in-flight, non-invasive measures including urine, saliva, skin swabs, and stool will be useful. 25 Blood samples are also a great option for omics, due to being minimally invasive and well established for spaceflight collection and medicine on Earth. What metadata would be the most useful and practical to standardize alongside omics collection (e.g., physiological, environmental, and lifestyle)?…”

“…- For frequent sampling, particularly in-flight, non-invasive measures including urine, saliva, skin swabs, and stool will be useful. 25 Blood samples are also a great option for omics, due to being minimally invasive and well established for spaceflight collection and medicine on Earth.…”

“…This easily accessible phenotypic information could be combined with omic information through linkage attacks, to identify individuals and breach their privacy. 25 Genomic data are likely to hold higher identification risk compared to other omic types, yet other data types and combinations cannot be considered to be low risk without thorough analysis. 27 How should ESA go about obtaining meaningful informed consent for omics research?…”