NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

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Experiment/Payload Overview

Brief Summary

Validation of Procedures for Monitoring Crew Member Immune Function (Integrated Immune) will assess the clinical risks resulting from the adverse effects of space flight on the human immune system and will validate a flight-compatible immune monitoring strategy. Researchers will collect and analyze blood, urine and saliva samples from crewmembers before, during and after space flight to monitor changes in the immune system. Changes in the immune system will be monitored by collecting and analyzing blood and saliva samples from crewmembers during flight and blood, urine, and saliva samples before and after space flight.

Principal Investigator

Clarence Sams, Ph.D, Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX

Co-Investigator(s)/Collaborator(s)

Brian Crucian, Ph.D., Wyle Laboratories, Houston, TX

Raymond Stowe, Ph.D., Microgen Labs, La Marque, TX

Duane Pierson, Ph.D., Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX

Satish Mehta, Ph.D., Enterprise Advisory Services, Incorporated, Houston, TX

Boris Morukov, M.D., Ph.D., Institute for Biomedical Problems, Moscow, Russia

Peter Uchakin, Ph.D. Mercer University School of Medicine, Macon GA

Sandra Nehlsen-Cannarella, Ph.D., Loma Linda University Medical Center, Loma Linda, CA

Payload Developer

Johnson Space Center, Human Research Program, Houston, TX

Sponsoring Agency

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Expeditions Assigned

|16|17|18|

Previous ISS Missions

Increment 16 was the first mission for Integrated Immune.

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Experiment/Payload Description

Research Summary

• There is ample postflight evidence to suggest that space flight has a negative effect on the immune system however, little inflight data has been collected. The inflight data that exists suggests immune dysregulation occurs during flight. There are several possible causes ranging from microgravity to stress to radiation. Complications arising from an immune system dysregulation have the potential to pose a clinical risk for exploration class space missions.



• In order to develop a countermeasures to reduce inflight immune dysfunction, a monitoring strategy must be developed.



• The objective of this study is to validate a monitoring strategy that will allow future countermeasures to be developed.

Description

The Validation of Procedures for Monitoring Crewmember Immune Function - Short Duration Biological Investigation (Integrated Immune) is to develop and validate an immune monitoring strategy consistent with operational flight requirements and constraints. There are no procedures currently in place to monitor immune function or its influence on crew health. Immune dysregulation has been demonstrated to occur during space flight, yet precious little inflight immune data has been generated to assess this clinical problem. Integrated Immune assesses the clinical risks resulting from the adverse effects of space flight on the human immune system and will validate a flight-compatible immune monitoring strategy. Characterization of the clinical risk and the development of a monitoring strategy are necessary prerequisite activities prior to validating countermeasures.

Preflight, inflight and postflight assessments will be performed. The inflight samples will allow a distinction between legitimate inflight alterations and the physiological stresses of landing which are believed to alter landing day assessments. The overall status of the immune system during flight (activation, deficiency, dysregulation) and the response of the immune system to specific latent virus reactivation (known to occur during space flight) will be thoroughly assessed.

Following completion of the investigation, the data will be evaluated to determine the optimal set of assays for routine monitoring of crewmember immune system function. It is intended that the determined set of relevant assays will be incorporated into the Clinical Status Evaluation (CSE) and utilized to monitor the effectiveness of human medical countermeasures related to immune function (exercise, medication, diet regulation-supplementation, immune modulators, etc.). In addition, the assays validated here will have significant benefit for the routine monitoring of crewmember's immune system status with regard to diagnosis and prognosis of immune-related disease states.

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Applications

Space Applications

The study will result in the validation of a monitoring strategy that will allow the development of effective countermeasures, which, when implemented, will safeguard the health of the crew during long duration space missions.

Earth Applications

The data collected during this investigation may lead a greater understanding of how the immune system is affected by different factors from stress to the environment. This data could potentially be used to help develop new treatments and preventative measures for immune dysfunctions.

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Operations

Operational Requirements

Preflight, each subject performs two sessions: one at L-180 (launch minus 180) days and another at L-30 days. Each session consists of four liquid saliva collections (performed every other day), with the blood draw, 24-hour urine and dry book saliva sample collection occurring on the day between the 2nd and 3rd liquid saliva collection.

Postflight, each subject performs two sessions: one at R+0 collecting four liquid saliva samples collected every other day starting on R+0 in conjunction with a blood draw and 24-hour urine collection. The second session two occurs at R+ 30 days collecting four liquid saliva samples (performed every other day) with a blood draw and 24-hour urine collection occurring on the day between the second and third liquid saliva collections. Dry book saliva samples are collected on R+1 and R+ 30 days.

Inflight, only blood and saliva samples are collected. There is no urine sample requirement for inflight operations. Subjects perform three sessions in-flight: early, mid and late increment. Each session consists of four liquid saliva collections (performed every other day), with a blood draw and dry book saliva sample collection occurring on the last day of the liquid saliva collections. For the late increment session, the final liquid saliva sample, the blood draw and dry book saliva sample collections occur on R-1. Blood samples are required to be returned for ground analysis within 48 hours of collection, therefore, the blood draws must occur in conjunction with a Shuttle or Soyuz flight to ISS.

Operational Protocols

Operations for this experiment consist of three types of sample collections: blood, urine and saliva. There are two types of saliva samples collected. Liquid saliva samples require the subject to soak a piece of cotton with saliva and place the cotton in a salivette bag. Dry book saliva samples are collected on filter paper bound in a small, specialized book at certain time intervals throughout the collection day. For preflight and postflight BDC only, 24-hour urine collections require the subject to collect all urine starting with the first void of the day and continuing for a full 24-hour period.

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Results/More Information

No Information Available

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Related Web Sites

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Publications

Results Publications

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Related Publications

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Images

The image above is the kit that contains all the items the crew will need for taking blood samples. Image courtesy of NASA, Johnson Space Center.
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Pictured here is the kit that will be used to collect the saliva samples. In the upper left of the image the rolled gaze is seen; this will be place into the mouth to absorb saliva. Image courtesy of NASA, Johnson Space Center.
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Information Provided and Updated by the ISS Program Scientist's Office