Meet the team: FORTE

Long-duration spaceflight is associated with several serious health effects. Microgravity, as well as increased levels of psychological stress can cause short- as well as long-term changes in astronauts’ skin. For instance, after long-duration spaceflight, up to 20% thinning of the outermost layer of the skin, or epidermis, is observed together with a loss of elasticity and degradation of the dermal skin layer. Moreover, problems related to skin rashes, itches and a delayed cutaneous wound healing are common during long-term spaceflight. The latter is particularly worrying as astronauts on future interplanetary space missions will be exposed to the hazardous space environment for a prolonged period of time. To counteract observed effects, development of effective countermeasures is therefore crucial. One possible countermeasure for microgravity-induced physiological changes is the use of hypergravity, which can for instance be achieved by placing a human centrifuge aboard the space vessel. 

This project aims to investigate the potential of hypergravity to counteract spaceflight-induced delayed wound healing. To document space-related defects and a possible interplay with elevated stress levels experienced in space, human skin cells will first be exposed to stress hormones and simulated microgravity, followed by an intermittent exposure to hypergravity. Wound healing will be analysed in vitro after making a scratch and investigating cell migration in the wound area. Furthermore, differences in cell motility and morphology and in extracellular matrix proteins known to be involved in wound healing will be assessed. Results of this project will help determine the validity of the use of hypergravity exposure for counteracting delayed wound healing in space and will as such support future countermeasure development for interplanetary space missions. 

The international team of students from the Netherlands, Portugal and Belgium in the current proposal is composed of both doctoral as well as master students that are currently performing space related experiments at the Radiobiology laboratories of the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre.

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