Translational Research Institute for Space Health Events Archive

On May 16, 2024, TRISH hosted the Brains in Space workshop to help illuminate the potential needs and technologies for helping maintain brain health during spaceflight missions. TRISH hosted speakers from both NASA operations and research settings complemented by a wide range of biomedical researchers focusing on cutting-edge brain assessment and stimulation technologies, as well as companies with novel ways to support brain-based health and performance in space.

Goals of the workshop:

• NASA operations and research personnel provided insights into current needs and desires regarding brain assessment, monitoring and stimulation.
• Researchers provided state-of-the-art overviews of the latest as well as up-and-coming technologies in domains such as MRI, EEG, NIRS, ultrasound, behavior, and various types of brain stimulation.
• Participants developed a document summarizing the current state-of-the-art for brain assessment and stimulation as is relevant to NASA needs.

Recordings:

Overview

• Dorit Donoviel, Ph.D., TRISH
• Gary Strangman, Ph.D., TRISH/MGH
• Lonnie Petersen, M.D., Ph.D., TRISH/MIT

NASA Needs

• Medical Operations: William Tarver, M.D., NASA
• Psychological Operations: James Picano, M.D., NASA
• Research - HFBP: Ajitkumar Mulavara, Ph.D., NASA
• Research - HHC: Brandon Macias, Ph.D., NASA

Brain Assessment

• Overview: Lonnie Petersen, M.D., Ph.D., TRISH/MIT
• Advanced MRI: Berkin Bilgic, Ph.D., MGH
• Portable MRI: Clarissa Cooley, Ph.D., MGH
• EEG: Michael Funke, M.D., Ph.D., UT-HSC
• NIRS: Andrew Dunn, Ph.D., UT Austin
• Ultrasound: Christy Holland, Ph.D., UCincinnati
• "Indirect" Approaches: Walter Greenleaf, Ph.D., Stanford

Brain Stimulation & Countermeasures

• Overview of Stimulation/CM Techniques: Gary Strangman, Ph.D., TRISH/MGH
• Transcranial Electrical Stimulation (tES): Emiliano Santarnecchi, Ph.D., MGH
• Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS): Donna Roberts, M.D., MUSC/ISSNL
• Photobiomodulation (PBM): Paolo Cassano, M.D., Ph.D., MGH
• Low Intensity Ultrasound Brain Stimulation: Seung-Schik Yoo, Ph.D., MBA, BWH

Lightning Rounds: Future Technologies

• Overview: Gary Strangman, Ph.D., TRISH/MGH
• Glymphatics MRI: Rachael Seidler, Ph.D., UF
• Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI): Nataliya Kosmyna, Ph.D., MIT
• Non-contact brain/body imaging: Ron Haupt, MS, Lincoln Labs
• Clinical neuroocular metrics: Avantika Naidu, Ph.D., MachineMD
• Real-time, non-contact cognition monitoring: Melissa Hunfalvy, Ph.D., Harmoneyes

In October 2022, the Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH) and Baylor College of Medicine's Center for Space Medicine hosted a nutritional psychiatry discussion with Dr. Felice Jacka, OAM, professor and director of the Food & Mood Centre at Deakin University in Australia. Dr. Jacka is also the founder and president of the International Society for Nutritional Psychiatry Research.

Food and nutrition can change your behavioral health, and astronaut behavioral health is a major concern for long-duration space missions. Over the last decade, Dr. Jacka and her colleagues have made significant contributions to their field by identifying key biomarkers and metabolites used to develop predictive algorithms and guide interventions for mood disorders such as depression. This work has implications for preventing and managing human spaceflight risks.

Watch the recording. 

"Why We Go” is a limited discussion series examining interplanetary exploration through conversations with diverse experts optimistically answering the question, why do humans go to space? The series speaks to the hard science and the human elements, allowing us to think holistically about human society and our path to the future. “Why We Go” is a collaboration between the Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH) at Baylor College of Medicine and Interplanetary Initiative at Arizona State University.

Listen, learn and launch into the awe of human exploration.

Recordings

• Why We Go: Why Do Humans Explore Space?
• Why We Go: Why Is Going to Space Difficult For Humans?
• Why We Go: Social Futures of Humanity as an Interplanetary Species
• Why We Go: Mission Impossible – Terraforming on Mars

On Aug. 7, 2020 the Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH) presented a virtual workshop separating the science from fiction of suspended animation. 

The workshop discussed the potential of using synthetic torpor for long-term human space exploration applications by exploring four research areas: natural torpor, synthetic torpor, torpor genetics, and metabolic control in space. 

View recorded presentations below:

Setting the Stage: Space Torpor
Emmanuel Urquieta, M.D., M.S.
Deputy Chief Scientist, TRISH
Presentation Video

Evolutionary Genetics of Hibernation
Sandy Martin, Ph.D.
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Presentation Video 

Hibernation Neuroprotection
Matteo Cerri, M.D., Ph.D.
University of Bologna, Italy
Presentation Video

Hibernation: Metabolic Rate Regulation
Kenneth Storey, Ph.D.
Carleton University, Canada
Presentation Video

Hibernation and Gut Microbiome
Matthew Regan, Ph.D.
University of Wisconsin Madison
Presentation Video

Terrestrial Uses and State Of The Art of Clinical Targeted Temperature Management
Claire Nordeen, M.D.
Bartlett Regional Hospital Juneau, Alaska
Presentation Video

Hibernation Neuroprotection
Kelly Drew, Ph.D.
University of Alaska Fairbanks
View the Presentation

Panel Discussion
Presentation Video 1 and Video 2

On July 13, 2020, the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH) co-hosted a one-day workshop exploring the connection between the microbiome, healthcare and the future of human exploration.

View recorded presentations below:

Welcome, Introduction and Context
Steve Mayo, Ph.D., Caltech and TRISH
Dorit Donoviel, Ph.D., TRISH
Sarkis Mazmanian, Ph.D., Caltech
Presentation video

Perspective on the Field and Effects of Radiation on Microbiome
Rob Knight, Ph.D., University of California San Diego
Presentation video

Gut microbes in Multiple Sclerosis: Structural, Functional and Integrative Analysis
Sergio Baranzini, Ph.D., UCSF
Presentation Video

Gut-Brain Connections to Behaviors in Mice
Sarkis Mazmanian, Ph.D., Caltech
Presentation video

Gut-Brain Connections to Behaviors in Humans 
Emeran Mayer, M.D., Ph.D., UCLA
Presentation video

Microbial Pathways to Metabolite Production 
Michael Fischbach, Ph.D., Stanford
Presentation video

Microbiome Sequencing Technologies
Joe Petrosino, Ph.D., Baylor College of Medicine
Presentation video

Autism Clinical Trials
Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown, Ph.D., ASU
Presentation video

Gut Bacteria Human co-Metabolism - Implications in Neuropsychiatric Diseases
Rima Kaddurah-Daouk, Ph.D., Duke
Presentation video
 
Radiation Effects on Microbiome / Metabolome
Amrita Cheema, Ph.D., Georgetown
Presentation video
 
Investment in Microbiome Space
Denise Kelly, Ph.D., Seventure
Presentation video

Microbiome in Cancer and COVID-19
Stephanie Culler, Ph.D., Persephone Biosciences
Presentation video

Regulatory Considerations for Microbiome-Based Therapeutics
Paul Carlson, Ph.D., FDA
Presentation video

NASA's Human Research Program (HRP) hosted its annual Investigators’ Workshop (IWS) Jan. 27-30, 2020 at the Galveston Island Convention Center (GICC) in Galveston, TX. The workshop’s goal is to provide an informal, collegial atmosphere for cross-disciplinary interaction. The theme of the workshop was “Human Exploration Small Steps Lead to Giant Leaps: Translating Research into Space Exploration.”

TRISH showcased its funded projects through a TRISH-specific track at the 2020 HRP Investigators’ Workshop. This track included 13 multidisciplinary and joint-element panels featuring over 43 TRISH projects. TRISH also ran 26 technology demonstrations during the afternoon poster sessions.

In collaboration with NASA, the Translational Research Institute for Space Health live streamed and recorded the plenary sessions. They are available below.

• Day 1
• Day 2
• Day 3
• Day 4 

The Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH) partnered with The Health Museum for a special event recognizing the 50th anniversary of one of humanity's greatest accomplishments: the Apollo 11 mission, which culminated in the first human bootprints on the moon.

Health: Moon and Beyond was held July 20, 2019. The event included a panel discussion of space health topics from the moon landing to a future  journey to Mars. VIP guests included retired NASA astronauts Dr. David Hilmers and Dr. Robert Satcher, TRISH director Dr. Dorit Donoviel and Dr. Jeffrey Sutton, director of Baylor College of Medicine's Center for Space Medicine. A special screening of the Smithsonian film The Day We Walked on the Moon followed the discussion.

Download the event flyer.

View the live stream of the event on Facebook.

The Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH) and the MIT Media Lab Space Exploration Initiative held a workshop titled "The Spaces in Space: Optimizing Behavioral Health and Cognitive Performance in Confined Environments" on Feb. 6-7, 2019.

The workshop highlighted the many opportunities to re-think the design of personal environments for their potential to keep us well and enhance cognitive performance. The spaces we design for space travel are new frontiers for health. Invited participants included leading engineers, academic researchers (in the fields of psychology, neuroscience, ecology, and AI), behavioral healthcare industry innovators, interior designers, architects, and entrepreneurs developing new technologies.

See the recorded video for Day One
See the recorded video for Day Two

Session Recordings Day 1:

• Behavioral Health, Cognitive Performance in Confined Environments - Ariel Ekblaw Ph.D.
• The Importance of "Spaces" in Space Health - Dorit Donoviel, Ph.D.
• Crew Environments, Performance and Health - Dava Newman, Ph.D.
• Biophilia: Our Greater Biology - Edward O. Wilson, Ph.D.
• Enviromics: Organizing Everything Outside of Us - Aruni Bhatnagar, Ph.D.
• Space Matters: Nurturing Wellbeing in Physical Environments - Panel Discussion
• Mental Health with Emotion Al - Javier Hernandez Ph.D.
• The Power of Ambient Scents - Adriana Madzharov, Ph.D.
• Health When Sound is Noise - Mathias Basner, Ph.D.
• Health When Sound is Music - Concetta Tomaino, D.A., MT-BC

Session Recordings Day 2:

• Living in a Spacecraft - Jay Buckey, M.D.
• Spaces in Space: Panel Discussion
• Ignite Session - Therapeutic Digital Interactions
• Virtual Nature - Joe Paradiso, Ph.D
• Augmented Human Cognition - Pattie Maes, Ph.D.

With a theme of “Human Exploration and Discover: the Moon, Mars and Beyond!”, the 2019 NASA Human Research Program Investigators' Workshop was held Jan. 22-25 in Galveston, Texas. The workshop’s goal was to provide a collegial atmosphere for cross-disciplinary interactions, and featured multiple talks from leaders in space exploration and research.

See the short film: Rendezvous with Mars

• Welcome Remarks by Dr. Maneesh Arya
• From Here to Mars by Dr. John Charles
• Exploring New Frontiers in Science and Medicine for Space Health by Dr. Dorit Donoviel
• N=1 in Discovery of Human Disease Genes and Therapeutics by Dr. Penelope Bonnen
• Commercial Spaceflight: An Opportunity for Scientific Research by Dr. Richard Jennings
• Innovative and Inclusive: Diversity in the Sciences by Dr. Elizabeth Hillman
• From Outer Space to Inner Space by Dr. Babak Kateb
• The Continuum of Health in Space by Dr. Aenor Sawyer
• Banquet Keynote by Dr. Kevin Fong
• Awards Ceremony
• Human Interface Space Futures by Dr. Mark Shelhamer
• China in Space by Dr. John Charles

NASA is preparing to send astronauts on a round-trip journey to Mars, one of the most ambitious projects humanity has ever attempted. This expedition will not only be an incredible feat of engineering, but also psychological fortitude for the astronauts chosen to fly this 18-month mission. These men and women will face isolation, latent communications with ground crews, boredom, and lack of personal space.

At the Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH), our remit is to prepare countermeasure and preventions for these and many other healthcare risks of long duration space flight.

TRISH and Z3VR, a digital health startup in Houston, collaborated for an one-day, live-streamed workshop held Jan. 17, 2019 on the applications of augmented, virtual and extended realities in deep space exploration.

• Full livestream of the AR/VR in Space Medicine virtual workshop
• Evelyn Miralles: The Human & Hardware Challenges of XR in Space
• Dr. Becky Inkster: Virtual Agents to Facilitate Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• Dr. Adam Gazzaley: Virtual Reality for Space Health Mind and Body
• Marissa Rosenberg: Virtual sensorimotor analog
• Eric Liga: The Future of XR Hardware
• Javier Fadul: Lessons from Industrial Training Paradigms in XR