Bellagio II Report: Terrestrial Applications of Space Medicine Research

Abstract

Introduction: For over 50 yr, investigators have studied the physiological adaptations of the human system during short- and long-duration spaceflight exposures. Much of the knowledge gained in developing health countermeasures for astronauts onboard the International Space Station demonstrate terrestrial applications. To date, a systematic process for translating these space applications to terrestrial human health has yet to be defined. methods: In the summer of 2017, a team of 38 international scientists launched the Bellagio ll Summit Initiative. The goals of the Summit were: 1) To identify space medicine findings and countermeasures with highest probability for future terrestrial applications; and 2) To develop a roadmap for translation of these countermeasures to future terrestrial application. The team reviewed public domain literature, NASA databases, and evidence books within the framework of the five-stage National Institutes of Health (NIH) translation science model, and the NASA two-stage translation model. Teams then analyzed and discussed interdisciplinary findings to determine the most significant evidence-based countermeasures sufficiently developed for terrestrial application. results: Teams identified published human spaceflight research and applied translational science models to define mature products for terrestrial clinical practice. conclusions: The Bellagio ll Summit identified a snapshot of space medicine research and mature science with the highest probability of translation and developed a “Roadmap” of terrestrial application from space medicine-derived countermeasures. These evidence-basedfindingscanprovideguidance regardingtheterrestrialapplications of best practices, countermeasures, and clinicalprotocolscurrentlyusedinspaceflight.