VALIDATION OF PROCEDURES FOR MONITORING CREW MEMBER IMMUNE FUNCTION
(INTEGRATED IMMUNE)
Research Area: Immune System
Expeditions: 16-ongoing
Principal Investigator(s): ● Clarence F. Sams, PhD, Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
Validation of Procedures for Monitoring Crew Member Immune Function (Integrated Immune)
estimates the clinical risks resulting from the adverse effects of spaceflight on the human
immune system to validate a flight-compatible immune monitoring strategy. Immune system
changes are monitored by collecting and analyzing blood, urine, and saliva samples from crew
members before, during, and after spaceflight.
EARTH BENEFITS
The data collected during this investigation lead to 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.
SPACE BENEFITS
The study validates a monitoring strategy that allows the development of effective
countermeasures. When implemented, this safeguards the health of the crew during long-
duration space missions.
RESULTS
Researchers collected multiple
preflight and postflight samples
from shuttle and ISS crew
members from 2007 onward.
They found that shuttle crew
members on short missions of
about 2 weeks experienced
greater initial stress, even prior to
launch, than crew members
leaving for a longer 6-month tour
on the ISS. After short-duration
missions, white blood cell (WBC)
counts were elevated and typical
stress-induced shifts were
observed, and a general immunity
assessment confirmed a parallel
decrease in immune function.
Changes in monocyte, a type ofISS030E257695 – In the International Space Station’s (ISS) Destiny
Laboratory, NASA astronaut Dan Burbank (foreground) and
European Space Agency astronaut Andre Kuipers prepare for
venous blood sample draws in the Columbus Laboratory of the ISS.
Following the blood draws, the samples are temporarily stowed in
the Minus Eighty Laboratory Freezer for ISS 1 (MELFI-1) and later
packed together with saliva samples on the Soyuz TMA-22 for return
to Earth for analysis.