PERSPECTIVE article
Front. Space Technol.
Sec. Space Exploration
This article is part of the Research TopicLiving in SpaceView all 6 articles
Enabling Living in Space Through Modern Innovations in Space Medicine: A Perspective on Tissue-on-a-Chip Technology
Provisionally accepted
Sibsankar Palit1,2,3*
Subhajit Hazra1
Prof Thais Russomano MD MSc PhD2,3,4Gaurab Ghosh5Polash Sannigrahi6- 1LIFE-To & Beyond Foundation, Kolkata, India
- 2ACES Worldwide, Arlington, VA, United States
- 3InnovaSpace, London, United Kingdom
- 4Space Technology Center, AGH University of Krakow, Krakow, Poland
- 5Department of Space Medicine, Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Indian Air Force, Bengaluru, India
- 6Aeromedical Training Center, Air Force Station Hindan, Ghaziabad, India
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Human spaceflight has evolved from the short missions of the 1960s to more recent, longer-term missions, such as those aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and future missions to the Moon and Mars. These missions have provided valuable insights into the effects of space-based phenomena, such as microgravity, radiation, and isolation, on human physiology. Studies have shown that microgravity causes rapid muscle atrophy (up to 20% in 1–2 weeks) and bone density loss (1–1.5% per month), and radiation exposure leads to DNA damage, oxidative stress, and immune suppression. Moreover, immune system dysregulation, evidenced by the reactivation of latent viruses like Epstein-Barr and cytomegalovirus, poses significant health risks. Recent advancements in Tissue-on-a-Chip (ToC) technology offer a promising approach to model immune responses in space, enabling real-time monitoring and testing of countermeasures. Ongoing studies, such as the Tissue Chips in Space Initiative, aim to investigate immune responses under microgravity, focusing on the differentiation of immune cells and the effects of space stressors on immune function. These innovations, including wearable biosensors, are paving the way for a personalized approach to astronaut health monitoring due to their potential applications in both space missions and terrestrial healthcare. Future research must address the scalability, cost-effectiveness, and regulatory standards of ToC technology to ensure its integration in long-duration space missions.
Keywords: Astronaut, Immunity, Infection, microgravity, organ-on-a-chip, Research, space medicine, space radiation
Received: 15 Oct 2025; Accepted: 15 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Palit, Hazra, Russomano MD MSc PhD, Ghosh and Sannigrahi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Sibsankar Palit
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