NASA creates avatars to study health of astronauts

NASA has created miniature avatars that will be able to model diseases and help determine personalized medications for those embarking on a space travel, Ambito reports (in Spanish). This technology will help us understand how spaceflights affects health of astronauts.

During space travels, astronauts experience loss of bone weight, muscle atrophy, changes in the immune system , and other conditions that can affect their health. The problem with these stress factors on the health of space travellers is not only that they may contribute to health problems for astronauts. In space, they will not have access to fully equipped hospitals or laboratories to treat their ailments. This is why there is a need to create disease models and to develop advanced medicines and methods to understand biological changes in deep space in anticipation of travelling there.

The first 3D tissue chip was introduced in 2010, and after 12 years of research, good results were presented. These chips are designed to be about the size of a credit card and can be used to represent various human organs such as: the structure and function of various parts of the body, lungs, liver, kidneys, intestines, bones , muscles and heart. Combined, they can represent various human organ systems.

These miniature avatars of living organ tissues are engineered by converting a person’s blood or skin cells to grow the tissue of interest on microfluidic chips . These chips are used by researchers, both on Earth and in space aboard the International Space Station, to gain more detailed information about the biological effects of spaceflight exposure, understand disease modeling, and predict the potential efficacy of pharmaceuticals.

Scientists have high hopes for the future of this new technology. Recently, tissue chips were used to study Covid-19, helping to understand the pathology of the disease and to test potential therapies.

Related News

All News

Willum Þór: The question remains if our healthcare system is sustainable

On January 1st, Iceland took over the Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers. This intergovernmental organisation plays an important role in promoting innovations, health data integration, and cooperation between all major stakeholders in the Nordic healthcare. The Icelandic Health Minister elaborates on his vision to future health in the Nordic region, the Nordic strengths, Iceland’s plans for the Presidency with regards to health innovations, and the coming collaboration with Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies

CIFS ran an all-day session at the Week of Health and Innovation (WHINN) in Odense

Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies ran an all-day session at the annual Week of Health and Innovation (WHINN) in Odense, Denmark. CIFS’ program attracted over 40 experts from health and data organisations. We presented strategic foresight and futures studies in the health sector, concepts that are used to reimagine the future of the health sector, such as the Humanome and decentralised clinical trials. Also, we had a panel discussion on the newly started Phase V project on decentralised clinical trials, where CIFS is a contributing partner

New HIMSS book out on blockchain in healthcare

The HIMSS Series has a new book on blockchain in healthcare. “Blockchain in Healthcare: Innovations that Empower Patients, Connect Professionals, and Improve Care” is the title of the book. According to the book’s authors, Vikram Dhillon, John Bass, Max Hooper, David Metcalf, and Alex Cahana, blockchain technology may hold the greatest potential in healthcare. Some of the first use cases in medical payments, electronic health records, HIPAA/data privacy, and drug counterfeiting have been explored by early pioneers. There is still much work to be done in order to automate the complexities of today’s healthcare systems and design new systems that are focused on trust, transparency, and aligning incentives. In this book, Metcalf, Bass, Hooper, Cahana, and Dhillon have assembled over 50 contributors, including early adopters, thought leaders, and health innovators. They tell their stories and share their knowledge. The videos and transcripts provided by many authors and contributors humanize the technical details and abstract aspects of blockchain. Using the fundamentals of blockchain, the authors curated a collection of future-oriented examples that build on early successes. After a brief introduction to the fundamentals and the protocols available, as well as early blockchain efforts specific to health and healthcare, the authors discuss the promise of smart contracts and protocols to automate complex, distributed processes and some of the early consortiums that are exploring the possibilities. Throughout the book are examples and use cases, with special attention given to the more advanced and far-reaching examples that can be scaled at an industry-level. In addition, a discussion of integrating blockchain technology into other advanced healthcare trends and IT systems – such as telemedicine, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, value-based payments, patient engagement solutions, big data solutions, medical tourism, and clinical trials among many others – is presented. The final section provides a glimpse into the future using blockchain technology and examples of research projects that are still in labs across the globe.