Insider Brief
- Learning more about how space affects human biology is critical for deep space missions and may drive advances in healthcare, aging, and biotechnology on Earth, according to a new editorial in Experimental Physiology.
- The researchers argue that organs like the kidney may undergo accelerated damage in space, and solving these biological challenges could unlock commercial applications in medicine and longevity research.
- The authors call for greater government investment and private-sector involvement in space biology, warning that without targeted funding, ambitions for long-duration missions to Mars could remain out of reach.
Understanding how space affects human biology is not just vital for future missions to Mars — it may unlock breakthroughs in healthcare, aging and biotechnology on Earth, according to a team of scientists and entrepreneurs.
Writing in Experimental Physiology, researchers Carina Kern and Keith Siew make the case that space biology — the study of how space travel changes the human body — is still an underfunded and underdeveloped field. But with new space ambitions on the rise, the authors say it’s time to take the biology of space as seriously as the rockets.
“Although we have pushed the frontiers of engineering and physics to take us to new worlds, the frailty of the human body could become the ultimate bottleneck,” they write in the editorial. “Addressing this issue is not only a necessity for space programmes, it is also a catalyst for innovation that could transform human healthspan and industries on Earth.”
The authors cite upcoming missions like NASA’s Artemis program and the European Space Agency’s Terrae Novae 2030+ strategy, which aim to send astronauts to the Moon and eventually Mars. Unlike the Moon, Mars poses more complex risks: a thin carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere, extreme cold, high radiation and no oxygen.
That environment, they argue, makes biological preparation as important as technical readiness.
Microgravity and the Human Body
Space agencies in the U.S. and Europe have already begun investing in understanding how human bodies degrade in space. Programs like NASA’s Human Research Program (HRP), the Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH), and ESA’s Life Sciences Working Group (LSWG) have shown how microgravity leads to muscle and bone loss, weakens the immune system, and affects mental health during long periods of isolation.
Still, much remains unknown, particularly when it comes to long-duration missions.
The new study in Experimental Physiology points to the kidney as a vulnerable organ under space conditions. In space, kidneys may deteriorate faster due to radiation and altered fluid dynamics, which mimic an accelerated form of aging.
“This intersection of space and biology offers exciting opportunities for companies willing to think laterally,” the researchers write. “Many innovations originally developed for space exploration, such as advanced imaging technologies and materials science breakthroughs, from microchips to long-life tyres, camera phones and cordless headphones, have become transformative for Earth-based industries. Likewise, the biological interventions required for long-duration missions could revolutionise sectors such as biomedicine, food preservation and environmental health.”
UK Could Play Bigger Role
While the U.S. and European Union have moved to support space biology research, Kern and Siew say the UK has not yet made it a strategic focus.
Although the UK government has set bold targets for space growth, the study argues those ambitions overlook the biology that will make long-term human spaceflight viable. The UK has strong academic and biomedical infrastructure, but needs dedicated support to transition that into space-related applications.
“The UK government has set enterprising goals for its space sector, but greater emphasis on biological research could both enhance human resilience in space and create new commercial opportunities on Earth,” they write. “For example, technologies developed to combat kidney dysfunction and muscle and bone atrophy in microgravity could be adapted to improve treatments for kidney disease, sarcopenia and osteoporosis in human ageing.”
Siew, a senior research fellow at University College London, notes that his own journey into space science started almost by accident. A chance email led to a massive collaboration, the researchers write, describing a partnership involving over 100 researchers and space agencies including NASA, ESA, and others across five continents. The collaboration focused on how radiation and microgravity damage the kidneys.
Kern, CEO of UK-headquartered biotech company LinkGevity, also came to the field unexpectedly. The company was developing anti-aging therapies when one of its innovations caught the attention of NASA’s space health program.
LinkGevity became one of only a dozen firms selected globally each year for testing in space health research.
Commercial Upside
The study suggests that companies should see space biology not as a niche, but as a dual-use platform. Tools developed to protect the human body in space could feed directly into lucrative markets in longevity, regenerative medicine, food preservation, and bioengineering.
Past innovations from space, the authors note, have become ubiquitous: camera phones, cordless tools, and even long-life tires all have roots in space exploration. Space biology, they argue, could offer similar spillover effects in human health and aging.
“By addressing biological challenges, businesses have the opportunity to develop dual-use technologies with both terrestrial and extraterrestrial applications,” the researchers write. “The potential rewards, both financial and scientific, are enormous. Imagine creating the solutions that enable the first humans to thrive on Mars while simultaneously advancing regenerative medicine, longevity and precision health technologies on Earth.”
Innovation Through Necessity
To unlock these benefits, the researchers makestwo policy recommendations. First, governments should fund human biology research specifically aimed at long-duration spaceflight. Second, companies should be encouraged to treat space as a testbed for health-related technologies.
With international collaboration growing and commercial space actors expanding, space biology may become a bridge between sectors: linking biotech, healthcare, and aerospace.
“As we push the boundaries of the final frontier, let us remember that the ultimate success of our missions might well depend on the biology we bring with us and the innovations we develop on our way to the stars,” they conclude.
Read more about the players in the Space Biology Market here.
Matt Swayne
With a several-decades long background in journalism and communications, Matt Swayne has worked as a science communicator for an R1 university for more than 12 years, specializing in translating high tech and deep tech for the general audience. He has served as a writer, editor and analyst at The Space Impulse since its inception. In addition to his service as a science communicator, Matt also develops courses to improve the media and communications skills of scientists and has taught courses.
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