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Experiment Overview


Information provided courtesy of the Erasmus Experiment Archive.
Brief Summary

Gene, Immune and Cellular Responses to Single and Combined Space Flight Conditions - A (TripleLux-A) studies the effects of space flight and radiation on the immune function of vertebrate cells in microgravity.

Principal Investigator(s)

Bertold Hock, Ph.D., Technical University of Munich at Weihenstephan, Freising, Germany

Co-Investigator(s)/Collaborator(s)

Peter-Diedrich Hansen, Ph.D., Berlin Institute for Technology, Berlin, Germany

Developer(s)
Information Pending

Sponsoring Space Agency

European Space Agency (ESA)

Sponsoring Organization

Information Pending

Research Benefits

Information Pending

ISS Expedition Duration:

Expeditions Assigned

Information Pending

Previous ISS Missions

Information Pending

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Experiment Description

Research Overview

• The Gene, Immune and Cellular Responses to Single and Combined Space Flight Conditions - A (TripleLux-A) experiment aims to understand the mechanisms at a cellular level which cause impairment of immune functions under space flight conditions, enhancement of responses to radiation and microgravity and clearly separate the effects of microgravity from other space flight factors.



• TripleLux-A will examine the ability of rodent macrophages (white blood cells responsible for eating foreign material on the cellular level) to function in microgravity, macrophages are the first line of defense in the vertebrate immune system.

Description

The aim of the Gene, Immune and Cellular Responses to Single and Combined Space Flight Conditions - A (TripleLux-A) experiment is to understand the mechanisms at the cellular level that impair vertebrate immune functions and enhance responses to radiation under space flight conditions. Specifically, TripleLux-A will study the ability of rodent macrophages (large white blood cells that ingests foreign material) from NR8383, ATCC# CRL-2192 to engulf zymosan (an insoluble carbohydrate that serves as an analogue of bacteria).

Phagocytosis (ingestion of foreign material) is the first line of defense against microbial infection by the immune system. Phagocytosis will be quantified using luminol as a detector for reactive oxygen species produced during the ingestion of zymosan by macrophages during the TripleLux-A investigation.

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Applications

Space Applications

Conducting studies of the immune system during space flight will provide knowledge and understanding of the effects of space habitation on the immune system. The data from these studies will be used in assessing the cellular mechanisms underlying the aggravation of radiation responses and impairment of immune functions during space flight. Understanding such risks is essential in maintaining the health and performance of crewmembers during long-duration missions.

Earth Applications

With greater understanding of the immune system in space, we can determine new countermeasures for people suffering from weakened immune systems.

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Operations

Operational Requirements

Triplelux-A will require utilization of the MELFI and BioLab facilities onboard the ISS. To complete TripleLux-A operations one session of approximately 12 hours must be completed. Video containing the data of the TripleLux-A activites on orbit will be downloaded to Earth following investigation completion.

Operational Protocols

Prior to TripleLux-A activation the following steps must be completed by ISS crewmembers, removal of the specimen from MELFI for thawing, injection of stock culture into the culture medium, reconstitution of the stock culture in fresh medium and measurement of the specimen viability. Crewmembers will then place the specimens in two (2) BioLab Advanced Experiment Containers (AECs) for processing of approximately 12-hours. Following completion of the experiment video data collect by BioLab will be returned to Earth for analysis.

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Results/More Information

Information Pending

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Results Publications

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Ground Based Results Publications

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ISS Patents

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Related Publications

Rabbow E, Rettberg P, Baumstark-Khan C, Horneck G.  The SOS-LUX-LAC-FLUORO-Toxicity-test on the International Space Station (ISS). Advances in Space Research. 2003; 31(6): 1513-1524. DOI: 10.1016/S0273-1177(03)00086-3.

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Related Websites

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Imagery

The Advanced Experimental Containment (AEC) hardware for the TripleLux experiments. Image courtesy of ESA.
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