Charting the Course of Medical Progress at the Health in Space Conference at ISU

The Health in Space conference was held on 13 December 2023 at International Space University 

On Earth, the field of health is making progress every day, driven by scientists from all over the world, for the benefit of everyone. Ever since man first set out on his space adventure, medicine has also been exported to space. Both to care for astronauts and ensure they remain in good health, and to facilitate scientific research experiments for the benefit of terrestrial medical advances. Health has thus become an important part of the space sector, which will continue to grow in response to the major issues affecting human beings, whether on earth or in space.

Today, institutions, companies and even start-ups are working on this subject. In France, the CNES (Centre national d’études spatiales) has set up MEDES – Institute for Space Medicine and Physiology, the Institute for Space Medicine and Physiology. Private companies such as SpacePharma and Prometheus Life Technologies, both recently set up in the incubator of the International Space University (ISU) in Illkirch-Graffenstaden, are working respectively on experimental space laboratories and on the creation of high-quality human tissue organoids in low-Earth orbit.

With the pursuit of space exploration and new terrestrial challenges, this research is more necessary than ever. In the Région Grand Est, and more particularly in Alsace and Strasbourg, health is at the heart of our concerns and innovations. That’s why on December 13, at the International Space University, we organized the “Health in Space” conference. Participants were able to take part in round-table discussions between experts from the space and health sectors, as well as those involved in innovation in Alsace. On the Youtube replay, you can watch unprecedented discussions between human performance researchers in space and BioValley France experts, on the same stage.

We would like to thank: Philippe PortelliJean MelounouVille et Eurométropole de StrasbourgPaul Kamoun, PhDShalva BouanicheRaphael Roettgen, CFAPatricia HatesuerInvest Eastern FranceManuel Pires-NeupertBioValley FranceVirginia WotringAdeline MARTINMEDES – Institute for Space Medicine and Physiology and all the participants.

You can watch the broadcast of the event on YouTube.

For more information about the incubator, please visit the ISU Incubator website.