Space Biology Research and Biosensor Technologies: Past, Present, and Future

Abstract

In light of future missions beyond low Earth orbit (LEO) and the potential establishment of bases on the Moon and Mars, the effects of the deep space environment on biology need to be examined in order to develop protective countermeasures. Although many biological experiments have been performed in space since the 1960s, most have occurred in LEO and for only short periods of time. These LEO missions have studied many biological phenomena in a variety of model organisms, and have utilized a broad range of technologies. However, given the constraints of the deep space environment, upcoming deep space biological missions will be largely limited to microbial organisms and plant seeds using miniaturized technologies. Small satellites such as CubeSats are capable of querying relevant space environments using novel, miniaturized instruments and biosensors. CubeSats also provide a low-cost alternative to larger, more complex missions, and require minimal crew support, if any. Several have been deployed in LEO, but the next iterations of biological CubeSats will travel beyond LEO. They will utilize biosensors that can better elucidate the effects of the space environment on biology, allowing humanity to return safely to deep space, venturing farther than ever before.

Enabling Clonal Analyses of Yeast in Outer Space by Encapsulation and Desiccation in Hollow Microparticles

“…Desiccated PicoShells also have potential for automated and autonomous workflows, which are important for the ISS and prerequisite for any uncrewed missions such as CubeSats [ 7 ]. PicoShells could be desiccated and sealed in a chamber of a microfluidic device and later rehydrated via a pump-based delivery system.…”

“…As an example of biotechnology development, the BioNutrients missions on the International Space Station (ISS) aim to use engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae and other microbes for the on-demand production of nutrients to be consumed by astronauts on long, deep-space missions [ 1 , 2 ]; the ISS BioRock experiment studied the ability of three microorganisms ( Sphingomonas desiccabilis , Bacillus subtilis , and Cupriavidus metallidurans ) to aid the biomining of vanadium for in situ resource utilization [ 3 , 4 ]; on the Moonshot Artemis-1 payload, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii algae will be grown during transit around the Moon and screened for high producers of lipids and hydrogen [ 5 ]. For model organism research, the BioSentinel Artemis-1 CubeSat will expose wild-type and mutant S. cerevisiae to galactic cosmic radiation and assays for metabolism and growth to better understand the biological response to deep-space radiation [ 6 , 7 ]. For pathogenesis research, the EcAMSat CubeSat used a pathogenic strain of Escherichia coli to evaluate whether microgravity affects antibiotic resistance in low Earth orbit [ 8 ].…”

Biomarkers for biosensors to monitor space-induced cardiovascular ageing

“…Frontiers in Sensors frontiersin.org of cardiovascular ageing due to exposure to microgravity and/or radiation have not yet been extensively developed and warrant further research (Kanapskyte et al, 2021). In Table 1, a summary of potential biomarkers for space-induced cardiovascular ageing can be found, together with available detection methods and biological induction by ionizing radiation and microgravity.…”

Biomedical payloads: A maturing application for CubeSats

“…The ISS now supports several modern facilities for miniaturized and often partially-autonomous biomedical study [1], [60], [61]. WetLab-2 features a quantitative PCR system, the MinION is a portable DNA sequencer, and RAZOR EX and MiDASS are capable of in-situ, near-real-time environmental monitoring through PCR and nucleic acid analysis respectively; all having been adapted from Earth based COTS instruments [1].…”