As part of the “Suite Ride” experiment, some astronauts will wear continuous glucose monitors during their 14-day stay on board the orbital lab
Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla’s
Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) is set to offer a ray
of hope for diabetics to travel to space, as a UAE-based healthcare provider is
conducting an experiment on how glucose behaves in microgravity conditions.
As part of the “Suite Ride”
experiment planned by Burjeel Holdings and Axiom Space, some astronauts of the
Axiom-4 mission will be wearing continuous glucose monitors during their 14-day
stay on board the orbital lab.
The studies of the behaviour of glucose and insulin in
microgravity conditions will help scientists develop wearable technologies for
astronauts and patients who are bedridden or have limited mobility due to
illnesses such as paralysis.
“We are trying just to see if there
is any change or fluctuation to the blood-sugar levels while they are in
space,” Mohammad Fityan, chief medical officer at Burjeel Holdings, Abu Dhabi,
told PTI.
The astronauts will also carry insulin pens in refrigerated
and ambient temperatures to examine how the molecules respond to microgravity
conditions.
“We are hoping that if we learn something
about the metabolism or the effect, we will bring some information and we can
do something for our patients on Earth,” Fityan said.
Currently, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA) does not allow insulin-dependent diabetics to travel to space. There are
no official exclusions for non-insulin-dependent diabetics, but so far, no
astronaut with diabetes has travelled to space.
“It has the potential to transform the future of space travel
for astronauts with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), a condition
historically considered disqualifying for space missions,” Fityan said.
He said the study will pave the way for several innovative
technologies and treatment approaches for developing advanced
glucose-monitoring tools optimised for extreme or low-activity environments,
improving wearable tech for both astronauts and patients with limited mobility
on Earth.
It will also help identify new pharmacologic targets by
observing how metabolic and hormonal responses change in microgravity, leading
to drugs that enhance insulin sensitivity or mimic the benefits of exercise in
sedentary individuals.
The AI-powered predictive models based on real-time physiologic data in space can be adapted to personalise diabetes care on Earth by forecasting insulin needs or metabolic shifts with higher accuracy.
The research will also help develop
remote monitoring platforms for continuous metabolic-data capture that could
revolutionise diabetes care in underserved or remote areas on Earth as well as
in tele-health settings.
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