Page 145 - Helicobacter pylori and Gastric Cancer: From Tumor microenvironment to Immunotherapy

Abstract
Among the most quoted reasons for defending spending by governments on space programs is the scientific knowledge and advances we gain that also have a positive impact back on earth, for which altered immunity in microgravity is one of these. Although the mechanisms involved remain primarily obscure and controversial, detection of these mechanisms may well be of importance that supersedes the field of microgravity research itself: autoimmune disease poses an ever more significant challenge to society, and novel therapeutic angles to combat immune system overactivation are urgently called for. Thus it is being claimed that the extensive efforts society makes about supporting space-based experimentation can be justified from the promise that identification of the molecular mechanisms by which microgravity interacts with the immune system will provide new clues as for how to therapeutically interfere with immune overactivity. Although data are limited, ,the effects on signaling most likely involve alterations in Rac signaling and thus microgravity provides new insight into the role of Rac and especially its downstream impact on cytoskeletal architecture in immune signal transduction. This has significant implications: both functional in studies which suggest that at least for one autoimmune disease, in case of Crohn’s disease defects in innate immunity are causative, leading to excessive innate responses. Thus indeed it is at least theoretically possible that useful information may be obtained from space experimentation on human immunity.
Keywords: Microgravity; Immunity; Signal transduction; Space travel; Innate immunity; Adaptive Immunity
Health from above?
Health from above?
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