Hello! Sorry for not attending the past meetings. I had serious commitments. Hopefully, I would be able to attend the upcoming meetings.
2026/5/1 - Meeting Recap:
chat_record_2025-05-01.pdf (87.1 KB)
Quick recap
The meeting focused on discussing current research projects and data access challenges in space biology. Participants shared updates on their work, including Alireza’s interactive network dashboard for human system risks, Suja’s project on merging health and space technology data, and Nozipho’s proposal for using machine learning to predict genomic instability from radiation exposure. The group discussed data access limitations, particularly regarding human astronaut data, with Lauren and Fathi providing insights about international data partnerships and the TRISH program’s restrictions. The conversation included detailed feedback on Nozipho’s research approach, with Fathi suggesting focus on DNA damage response pathways, p53 signaling, and oxidative stress markers. The meeting also covered Suja’s work on creating a sovereign infrastructure for health data and her plans to present at the MedTech Conference in Florida.
Next steps
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Max: Coordinate with Jian to schedule a future meeting to present updates on human research work in Japan.
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Suja: Present a detailed introduction and slides about her project after returning from the MedTech Conference in Florida.
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Jian: Share the transcript (or recording) of the meeting on the forum for group access.
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Nozipho: Review feedback and references shared during the meeting, refine her project proposal, and update the group in a couple of weeks on her progress and next steps.
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Jian: Share the proposal written for TRISH Expand access with the group for feedback.
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Alireza: Introduce Robert Reynolds to the group if there is a need for collaboration on clinical/case scenarios.
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All interested members: Consider submitting a proposal for the TRISH Expand data access call (encouraged by Alireza and Jian).
Summary
Iran Conditions and Research Updates
Jian and Alireza discussed current conditions in Iran, where Alireza reported high inflation but noted that people have adapted to it. Alireza expressed concern about the potential for total war with other countries as the main source of anxiety for Iranians. Fathi informed Alireza that he had provided a recommendation for Alireza’s application to the Blue Marble Science Institute, a non-profit research organization that offers networking opportunities and proposal writing possibilities.
Project Updates and Introductions Meeting
The meeting served as an informal check-in where participants introduced themselves and discussed ongoing projects. Nozipho was invited to present her project idea at a later time, though the specific details were not discussed. Atul mentioned working on a manuscript about fungus or bacteria research, and Max, who was joining from Japan at 2 AM, agreed to schedule a future discussion about his human research work. Suja provided a detailed introduction of her background in electrical engineering and software development, explaining her current project focused on building an infrastructure for digital twins using medical records, which she plans to present at the MedTech Conference in Florida.
Rural Medicine and Space Integration
Suja discussed the potential for integrating rural medicine, health, and space technology, highlighting a $3 trillion industry opportunity over the next 10 years. She emphasized challenges with data quality and privacy, particularly in open science and citizen science initiatives, and expressed interest in developing solutions to address these issues. Jian acknowledged the difficulties in accessing astronaut data and mentioned ongoing efforts to obtain deeper access through requests to relevant agencies.
OSDR Training and Data Collaboration
The group discussed the helpfulness of OSDR training modules, with Suja sharing her positive experience taking three classes that covered data navigation, formatting, policies, and research project structuring. Jian noted that data access and analysis skills are fundamental to their projects and mentioned plans to organize more focused coding sessions and purpose-built pipelines to help lower barriers for team members. Alireza raised questions about accessing data from other countries and inquired about potential collaboration goals with countries like Japan, China, and Australia to address data constraints and privacy concerns.
International Space Biology Data Repositories
Lauren and Fathi discussed international data repositories for space biology research. They explained that OSDR is the primary international database, with data from JAXA and an upcoming agreement with the European Space Agency to share human analog spaceflight data through Gen Lab. Fathi mentioned that JAXA’s astronaut data release was facilitated by Masafumi Muratani, who used an N6 approach to address identification issues. They also noted that while OSDR is open science, TRISH offers access to private astronaut data through a proposal-based system rather than open access.
Data Analysis Proposal Discussion
Jian submitted a proposal to explore data analysis opportunities but found the requirements restrictive, requiring specific hypotheses rather than open-ended exploration. Fathi agreed that the approach was too constrained, particularly requiring proposals to address HRP risk factors rather than broader topics like regenerative medicine and aging. Jian shared his specific hypothesis about using wearable sensor data to predict short-term physiological effects of spaceflight stress, though he acknowledged it was not scientifically sound but rather an exploratory approach to test what might be possible with the data.
Wearable Data Collection for Space
The team discussed wearable data collection from suborbital flights and potential terrestrial alternatives. Jian mentioned having access to kinesiology lab sensors and collaborators for processing data sets. Alireza shared information about a sleep risk section in a DAG catalog, highlighting the importance of sleep quality in space missions. Jian explained Alireza’s interactive dashboard based on NASA’s DAG paper, which allows users to explore causal relationships between various space mission factors.
NASA Graph Platform Integration Discussion
Jian presented an interactive platform based on a NASA document related to human systems risk and cyclic graphing. Alireza shared the link to the resource and mentioned potential applications in processing time series data for sleep measures or astronaut workload. Jian and Alireza discussed exploring ideas for integrating this graph-based approach into their CDSS project, with Alireza offering to collaborate with Robert Reynolds on clinical scenarios. The conversation ended with Jian preparing to transition to the next topic and inviting Nosy to share their ideas.
Space Radiation DNA Repair Research
Nozipho presented a research concept using machine learning and AI models to predict genomic instability caused by radiation in spaceflight conditions, focusing on DNA damage and its long-term effects. Jian suggested studying DNA repair mechanisms instead of damage directly, referencing a recent talk on longevity in mammals and suggesting the use of gene expression data from OSDR to identify DNA repair genes activated in space mice. The group discussed different perspectives on the relationship between stress, DNA repair, and aging, with Fathi highlighting inflammation as a key factor in aging. No specific decisions or action items were outlined, but the discussion provided insights into potential research directions and data sources for further exploration.
Radiation Effects and DNA Damage
Fathi discussed the biological effects of radiation, explaining that it can be divided into direct effects (like high-energy particles causing DNA damage) and indirect effects (through reactive oxygen species). He suggested focusing on DNA damage response pathways, including p53 signaling and ATM pathways, as well as measuring oxidative stress as a proxy for indirect damage. The team agreed to explore both transcriptomic data and potentially complementary functional assays like comet assays and FISH for validating their AI and machine learning models. Jian mentioned he would share the meeting transcript on the forum for further discussion.
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Hi Jian, this is really interesting—I’d love to contribute.
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Hi @jgong, this is a great initiative. I’m a practicing physician with significant medical research and AI experience. I’m currently working on digital twins for clinical support. Would love to contribute to your digital twin model for retina if you need any clinical perspectives.
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Hi, I find this project really interesting. Since I work on eye myself, I would love to contribute in this project
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Part of this just sub-group on the @AIMLawg – just released this pre-print!
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