Sinai Health System

Published purpose

Immuno Profile will: • monitor the number of white blood cells throughout a space mission • measure levels of immune related proteins carried by the blood • generate a profile of the human immune system over a six-month flight ¿ Impacts on Earth Immuno Profile's results will provide insights into stress-related and age-associated immune dysfunction on Earth. As we age, our immune systems typically decline. The study could identify similarities between aging population's immune functions and those of astronauts in space. The study could also give researchers more information about the mechanisms of virus reactivation. We all carry dormant, controlled viruses within our bodies. But a period of immune deficiency could provide some viruses, like the one that causes chickenpox in children or shingles in adults, with the opportunity to reactivate and cause further infection.