Disentangling Human Transcriptomic Responses to Spaceflight Radiation and Simulated Microgravity
Year: 2026
Type: study-registration
Abstract: Human spaceflight involves multiple environmental stressors, including ionizing radiation, microgravity, isolation, altered circadian rhythms, mission duration, and other operational and physiological factors. These exposures may be associated with changes in oxidative stress responses, DNA repair, mitochondrial-associated transcriptional programs, and inflammation. Previous space biology research has characterized molecular changes in astronaut samples and experimental models. Therefore, this investigation does not claim to have discovered the first space radiation transcriptomic signature. Its contribution is a comparative, human-focused pathway-level framework that evaluates the consistency and specificity of molecular responses across astronaut missions, controlled radiation exposures, and simulated microgravity experiments. The central methodological concern is whether apparently radiation-compatible transcriptomic responses can be distinguished from responses caused or influenced by other spaceflight-associated conditions. This study does not assume that transcriptomic changes observed after spaceflight can be attributed specifically to ionizing radiation. 2. Research Questions and Hypot
Source: Open Science Framework
Language: English
Subfield: Physiology (medical)
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7222965952