Pharmacological Countermeasures for Long-Duration Space Missions:
Addressing Cardiovascular Challenges and Advancing Space-Adapted
Healthcare
Abstract
Future long-duration crewed space missions beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
will bring new healthcare challenges for astronauts for which
pharmacological countermeasures (PCMs) are crucial. This paper
highlights current PCMs challenges described in the ESA SciSpacE
Roadmap, with a focus on the cardiovascular system as a model to
demonstrate the potential implication of the challenges and
recommendations. New pharmacological approaches and procedures need to
be adapted to spaceflight (SF) conditions. Potential strategies include
combining pharmacological biomarkers such as pharmacogenomics with
therapeutic drug monitoring, advancing microsampling techniques, and
implementing a pharmacovigilance system to gain deep insights into
pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) spaceflight alteration on drug
exposure. Emerging therapeutic approaches (such as long-term regimens)
or manufacturing drugs in the space environment, can address specific
issues related to drug storage and stability. The integration of
biobanks and innovative technologies like organoids and organ-on-a-chip,
artificial intelligence (AI), including machine learning will further
enhance PK modelling leading to personalized treatments. These
innovative pharmaceutical tools will also enable reciprocal
game-changing healthcare developments to be made on Earth as well as in
space and are essential to ensure space explorers receive safe effective
pharmaceutical care.