Author: Rabia AsgharPhD (Biomedical Engineering), MSc (Zoology) Cardiovascular diseases remain one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide, demanding diagnostic and therapeutic strategies that are not only accurate but also personalised. As healthcare shifts toward precision medicine, aptamer-based technologies are emerging as powerful tools with the potential to revolutionise how cardiac diseases are detected, monitored, and treated. Aptamers, short single-stranded DNA or RNA molecules, are engineered to bind specific targets such as proteins, cells, or biomarkers with high affinity and selectivity. Often described as synthetic alternatives to antibodies, aptamers offer several advantages, including low immunogenicity, high stability, cost-effective synthesis, and ease of chemical modification. These features make them particularly suitable for integration into next-generation diagnostic and therapeutic platforms. In the context of cardiac diseases, early detection is critical. Conditions such as myocardial infarction, heart failure, and atherosclerosis rely on timely identification of biomarkers like troponins, C-reactive protein (CRP), and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP). Aptamer-based biosensors enable highly sensitive and rapid detection of these biomarkers, even at very low concentrations, offering the potential for earlier diagnosis compared with some conventional approaches. When integrated with portable platforms such as paper-based assays or smartphone-assisted devices, these systems can deliver point-of-care diagnostics, reducing the need for centralised laboratory infrastructure. These innovations maybe particularly valuable in remote or resource-constrained environments, including spaceflight medicine, where rapid point-of-care cardiovascular monitoring is essential.  Figure 1: Aptamer technology in cardiovascular precision medicine: diagnostic and therapeutic applications. (Image credit: Gemini AI) Beyond diagnostics, aptamers are also gaining attention in targeted therapy. Their ability to specifically bind disease-related molecules allows them to act as drug delivery agents or therapeutic inhibitors. Although not a cardiovascular therapy, Pegaptanib, an RNA-based aptamer approved by the FDA in 2004, demonstrates the therapeutic viability of aptamer technologies and supports exploration of similar cardiovascular applications. For example, aptamers may be designed to block clot formation pathways or target inflammatory mediators involved in cardiovascular disease progression. Precision medicine further enhances the value of aptamers by enabling patient-specific treatment strategies. By combining aptamer-based detection with data analytics and patient profiling, clinicians can tailor therapies based on individual biomarker expression patterns. This approach not only improves treatment efficacy but also minimises adverse effects, leading to better patient outcomes.  Figure 2: Mechanistic Overview of Therapeutic Aptamer Binding Modes, Illustrating Functional Domain Inhibition and Selective Drug Payload Delivery to Inflammatory Sites. (Image Credit Gemini Ai) For biotechnology and healthcare organisations, the integration of aptamers into precision medicine platforms presents significant translational opportunities. Potential applications range from portable diagnostic systems to targeted therapeutic delivery platforms, aligning with the broader demand for personalised, rapid, and cost-effective healthcare solutions. Future integration with artificial intelligence-driven analytics and digital health platforms may further improve diagnostic interpretation and support real-time patient monitoring. However, challenges remain in scaling these technologies for widespread clinical use. Regulatory approvals, standardisation of assays, long-term stability, and integration into existing healthcare systems require careful consideration. Strategic collaborations between researchers, clinicians, and industry stakeholders will be essential to accelerate commercialisation. In conclusion, aptamers are poised to play a transformative role in the future of cardiac care. By bridging advanced molecular recognition with precision medicine, they offer a pathway toward smarter diagnostics and targeted therapies. For forward-thinking organisations, investing in aptamer-based innovations is not just an opportunity, it is a strategic step toward shaping the next generation of cardiovascular healthcare solutions.
Author: Gustavo DalmarcoTechnology Management and Innovation Specialist; Senior Researcher, INESC TEC, Porto, Portugal Additive manufacturing, more commonly known as 3D printing, has long been presented as one of the most promising technologies for the future of space systems. The reasons are compelling: lighter components, more complex geometries, faster prototyping, reduced material waste, and new possibilities for design and integration. In an industry where performance, mass, reliability and cost are constantly under pressure, these advantages seem almost tailor-made for the space sector. Yet, despite this strong potential, adoption across space organisations remains far from straightforward.  Metal lattice structure produced using additive manufacturing (3D printing) with metal powders, such as aluminium. Image credit: Author That tension is exactly what motivated our recent study, published in Acta Astronautica. Rather than asking only what additive manufacturing can technically do, we asked a broader and perhaps more important question: what actually enables or constrains its adoption within spacecraft organisations? In many public discussions, additive manufacturing is framed as an inevitable next step for aerospace and space production. But in reality, the transition is more complex. Space is a high-stakes sector. Components must meet extremely demanding standards, qualification processes are rigorous, and the cost of failure is exceptionally high. Under these conditions, even highly promising technologies face barriers that go beyond engineering performance. Our study explores these barriers and drivers in a structured way. It shows that implementation depends on the interaction of three broad dimensions: technological characteristics, organisational readiness, and environmental pressures. In other words, even when additive manufacturing offers clear technical advantages, adoption may stall if organisations do not yet have the right skills, culture, processes, validation pathways, or strategic alignment to support it. Likewise, external pressures such as supply-chain demands, industrial competition, regulatory expectations, and ecosystem maturity also shape whether AM moves from experimentation to routine use.  OPEN ACCESS ARTICLE: Acta Astronautica, Volume 246, 2026, Pages 49-59, ISSN 0094-5765, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2026.03.057. This matters because it shifts the conversation. The question is no longer simply whether additive manufacturing is useful for spacecraft production, but how it can be usable, scalable and trusted. This approach highlights that adoption is also about organisational capability, industrial context, and the ability to connect technical potential with the realities of spacecraft development. In that sense, the challenge is not only to improve additive manufacturing, but also to understand what space-sector requirements need to be met for additive manufacturing to become part of everyday practice in the space sector. This is perhaps the key message of our work. If additive manufacturing is to truly “lift off” in spacecraft production, the challenge is not only to improve the technology, but also to prepare the organisations that will use it. The future of space manufacturing will not be shaped by technical capability alone. It will be shaped by the alignment between innovation potential and the organisational capacity to absorb, validate and deploy it.
And that may be where the real transformation begins. From Sea to Space: How One Philippine Project Links Reef Restoration with Future Space Living26/4/2026
Author: Chris Yuan:Founder, UMIC project/Planet Expedition Commanders Academy (PECA); InnovaSpace advisory group On the coast of the Philippines, a small but unusual project is asking a bold question: could the ocean help humanity prepare for life beyond Earth? Known as the Star Sea Alliance (SSA), the initiative describes its journey as From Sea to Space, combining marine restoration, underwater training, habitat experiments and community education. What began with artificial reef construction has grown into a broader vision: using underwater environments to explore how people might one day live and work in extreme conditions beyond Earth.  Building from the Seabed Up The project’s early work focused on artificial reefs and marine habitat support along the Zamboanguita coast. Artificial reefs can help create shelter for marine life, support coral growth and strengthen damaged ecosystems.For SSA, those reef structures also became something more. Working underwater demands careful planning, teamwork, equipment management and adaptation to a hostile environment, many of the same pressures faced in space operations. SSA refers to this evolving concept as Space Reef: marine ecological engineering that supports life in the sea today while helping inspire modular habitats for tomorrow.  Why Train Underwater?
Space agencies have long used water for astronaut training because it can simulate aspects of weightlessness and restricted movement. SSA builds on that idea with diver-based missions, underwater construction exercises and habitat experiments. The group’s training model, described as an Underwater Space Graded Training System, uses diving tasks to simulate teamwork, movement, repair work and maintenance in extreme environments. In these conditions, every tool matters, communication becomes more important, and even simple tasks require patience and precision. It is not space, but it can be a valuable classroom for some of space’s challenges. Author: Leonardo PilattiPhysiotherapist | Currently undertaking a PhD in Health and Space Planning Exposure to spaceflight, particularly microgravity, induces profound physiological alterations that compromise neuromusculoskeletal and cardiovascular systems. These changes lead to muscle atrophy, bone demineralization, postural instability, and other functional deficits. Physiotherapy and related countermeasures, including tailored exercise regimens and structured rehabilitation protocols, are central to mitigating these effects during and after space missions. Spaceflight imposes unique stressors on the human body due to the absence of Earth’s gravitational load, leading to systemic physiological adaptations. While space agencies have developed exercise countermeasures to moderate deconditioning, astronauts still face significant health challenges both during missions and upon return to Earth’s gravity. Physiotherapy plays a critical role in preparing, supporting, and rehabilitating astronaut health through evidence-based interventions. Neuromusculoskeletal Deconditioning Prolonged microgravity exposure leads to pronounced muscle atrophy and bone density loss, especially in weight-bearing structures such as lower limbs and the spine. Astronauts can lose significant muscle strength and up to 1–2% of bone mass per month without consistent loading stimuli. These changes parallel muscle atrophy and deconditioning observed in terrestrial patients subjected to prolonged immobilisation.  Rectangle on the left shows what healthy spongy bone looks like and the rectangle on the right shows what weakened spongy bone looks like. | Image credit: Partynia, Wikimedia Commons. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Sensorimotor and Postural Control Deficits Spaceflight results in impairments in postural control and dynamic gait performance due to altered vestibular inputs and neuromuscular coordination. Astronauts show significant decrements in balance and sensorimotor function upon return to Earth, comparable to the effects seen in bed-rest analog studies. In microgravity and related analog environments, discrepancies may arise between actual body position and perceived orientation. (A) When sensory inputs are aligned, posture is maintained with accurate perception of body position. (B) Under conditions of reduced or conflicting sensory input, such as limited visual feedback, a mismatch can occur between actual and perceived orientation. The individual may physically lean in one direction while perceiving a lean in the opposite direction. Despite this discrepancy, stability can still be maintained. Such orientation illusions are commonly observed on entry into weightlessness and depend on the available sensory information. In the absence of visual input, tactile cues become dominant in determining perceived orientation. Interpretation of foot pressure and support loading may therefore lead to an incorrect perception of body position.  Figure: Schematic representation of sensorimotor mismatch during reduced sensory input conditions. (A) Accurate perception of upright posture. (B) Mismatch between actual body position and perceived orientation, with opposing directional cues. Author: Rabia AsgharPhD (Biomedical Engineering), MSc (Zoology). From Imagination to Reality Staying in space for a few days, weeks, or even long-term missions has now become a reality. What once began as a single step on the Moon has evolved into the possibility of residing there for six months or longer, an evident transition from imagination to execution. This progression raises an important question: is it always possible to imagine something and successfully execute it in a way that results in learning and tangible benefits? Exploration Beyond Space Space missions are often portrayed as the pinnacle of human exploration. However, does that imply that science was not flourishing before the concept of space exploration emerged? In fact, it was. Philosophers and astronomers were already shaping human understanding by observing the cosmos, while early scientists designed compasses and navigation tools to determine direction and expand exploration on Earth. Restricting the concept of exploration solely to space missions confines imagination to a single direction. Exploration within the human body, the depths of the oceans, the skies, or the Earth itself is equally valid and profoundly impactful. The Challenge of the Human Body in Space Nevertheless, space exploration elevates imagination to an entirely new level due to its extraordinary challenges to the human body. For instance, microgravity leads to calcium loss from bones, disrupts the immune system, and can even result in cognitive impairments such as memory loss.  Physiological effects of microgravity on the human body, Adapting Humans to an Alien Environment
To counter these effects, innovative solutions are being developed, including precision medicine, advanced life-support systems, and ergonomically designed spacesuits. If challenges exist, humans find solutions, even long before the modern era of artificial intelligence. Imagine the prospect of walking freely in space without protective equipment or technological support? It is indeed a daunting idea. Imagination moves swiftly, whereas execution demands a well-planned strategy and substantial investment; it cannot be random. Authors:Evelyne Wang: Ninth-grader student at Nord Anglia International School & junior researcher at UMIC's Underwater Space City  Evelyne Wang: In December 2025, I participated in UMIC’s first indoor underwater “Lunar Farm” remotely operated vehicle (ROV) mission. In early February 2026, under the guidance of Antonio P. Yocol, Head of the Offshore Resources Management Department of Zamboanguita City, Philippines, and UMIC Commander Chris Yuan, I completed a six-day scuba diving training programme followed by a two-day artificial reef restoration and coral planting project in the Philippine Sea. The mission focused on restoring coral communities damaged by typhoons while contributing to the rebuilding of the seabed ecosystem. Yet this project was designed to explore something more than ecological restoration alone. Unlike conventional artificial reef deployments, this mission also functioned as a simulated lunar habitat construction exercise.  Heavy structures, weightless choreography Structure and Construction: The artificial reef consisted of eighteen 4-metre concrete pillars, each weighing approximately 850 kilograms. These pillars were lowered from the ship by crane. On the seabed, divers operated without heavy machinery. Movement and positioning depended entirely on buoyancy bags, counterweights, and carefully coordinated underwater teamwork. Precision and control became far more important than brute force.  Precision replaces machinery In water, an object’s mass remains constant, but its effective weight is reduced by buoyancy. This physical principle provides an intriguing comparison with lunar construction.
Author: Rabia AsgharPhD (Biomedical Engineering), MSc (Zoology) Exploration, experience, and extension are intrinsic human behaviours and attitudes toward life. Whether it is an ordinary person living life in their own way or someone belonging to a particular group, everyone naturally follows this behavioural pattern. This attitude toward life does not belong to people of any specific field or domain; it is a universal human way of thinking. When two people rubbed stones together for the first time, they did not know it would produce fire. It was exploration that motivated them to try. That exploration led to experience, in the form of fire, which they later extended and used for their own benefit.  This cycle never stops, and it never will. I believe the motivation to explore is something we are born with. By the age of 24 months, babies begin to ask, “What’s that?” This shows that exploration is a basic human instinct. Therefore, we can say that exploring is a fundamental human right and reflects an individual’s attitude towards life.
Narrowing down the concept of exploration is a big injustice to this broad term when it is associated only with research and science. Let’s dig deeper: as human beings, are we only responsible for living a balanced life, or are we here to do something more? The immediate answer would definitely be “no.” Why? Because it goes against the thought pattern embedded in our very blueprint. Author: Mary UpritchardInnovaSpace Admin Director & Space Fan! If you’ve been anywhere near the internet this week, you will have seen that NASA is bringing the Crew-11 astronauts back from the International Space Station early due to a “medical issue.” No great details given due to privacy rights, so no name, no diagnosis, and no great drama. Nonetheless, this lack of detail always leads to worry, much speculation and many clickbait headlines to boost page visitor numbers. But to be honest, this event holds no great mystery, it’s nothing weird, in fact, it’s probably overdue!  ISS orbiting the Earth - Image credit: NASA Space is not a natural place for the human body to liveWhen we think of space exploration, we generally think of it as something heroic - big rockets, brave astronauts floating around and amazing photos of our planet Earth. What we don’t really talk about is that space is quietly hostile to the human body, not in an exploding spacesuit sci-fi drama sort of way, but in a slow, grinding, biological manner. The simple fact is that microgravity messes with almost everything:
Astronauts are not ‘ill’ in space in the usual sense, but they are also not ‘normal’ anymore. Instead, their bodies are constantly adapting and compensating for the lack of gravity, and slowly using up their safety margins.
A crew-11 member didn’t break anything – they just hit a limit NASA has not revealed exactly what happened to the Crew-11 astronaut who needed to come home and they probably never will. However, the important part really isn’t the specific symptom. The important part is that someone’s body crossed a line where Earth became safer than orbit. This is less about a mission failure and more about highlighting the reality of long-duration spaceflight. The ISS has been permanently occupied for more than 25 years. In that time, astronauts have had all kinds of health issues up there, even if they were rarely described that way, for example:
Most of it is explained away in polite language like “out of an abundance of caution” or for “operational reasons”, but this time, Crew-11 has said the quiet part out loud. Space exploration is moving away from adventure to exposureEarly space missions were short, just days or weeks. You could grit your teeth and push through, and before you knew it you were returning to Earth again. Nowadays, astronauts live on the ISS for six months, and sometimes longer. That turns spaceflight into something very different. It’s no longer a short sprint but more of a long-distance race, with slow exposure to an environment for which the human body was never designed. Astronauts these days are less like explorers and more like participants in long medical experiments, and sometimes experiments can end early.  Author produced image, assisted by DALL-E So, this is where space medicine really matters InnovaSpace Director, Thais Russomano, is a doctor who specialised in space medicine and human physiology, and she will often say that space doesn’t suddenly break you. Rather, it slowly begins to nudge every single body system away from where it is accustomed to being. Most of the time, the body copes and adapts, but sometimes, it doesn’t. So, if NASA says someone needs to come home for medical reasons, it isn’t a mystery. It should be taken as a reminder that although human bodies are incredible, they still come with limits.
Fortunately for Crew-11, being on the ISS means they could come home relatively easily. But what of a Moon crew - maybe not - and a Mars crew - definitely not. There is no quick splashdown from deep space. This story perhaps reflects not so much on one astronaut on one mission, but sharply highlights where we are on a bigger journey. We are leaving the era of “Can humans survive in space?” and entering a new era of “Just how long can humans survive in space?” When we think of human spaceflight, it’s easy to focus on rockets, spacecraft and mission timelines. Less visible, but just as critical, is the quiet disruption of the body’s natural rhythms. On board the International Space Station, astronauts witness multiple sunrises and sunsets every day, challenging circadian systems that have evolved under a single 24-hour light–dark cycle. Sleep, hormonal regulation, cognition and overall wellbeing all depend on rhythm. The below article written by Dr Maria Helena Itaqui Lopes, originally published in the journal Zero Hora and website GZH, explores rhythm from a clinical and musical perspective, and reminds us that the language of the body matters deeply, whether on Earth or in orbit.
One day, while studying the biography of Herbert von Karajan, the legendary conductor regarded as one of the greatest in the history of conducting and often referred to as the “conductor of conductors”, I was struck by his reflections on rhythm. He stated that “if no one teaches students the basic disciplines of rhythm, things become impossible”. Although this statement, coming from a musician, may at first seem to relate exclusively to music, in reality rhythm goes far beyond this. It encompasses a sense of balance in physical movement, mental processes, learning, self-care, daily activities and vital energy. Our bodies function rhythmically. We need only recall cardiac rhythm, breathing, sleep, digestive function and circadian rhythms, among many others. Of the biological rhythms that regulate bodily function, the circadian rhythm stands out as a central example, as it organises hormonal release in a time-dependent manner. The secretion of cortisol, melatonin, growth hormone and insulin follows patterns that influence metabolism, immune response, cognitive performance and tissue repair. In preventive medicine, recognising these rhythms allows functional variations to be interpreted, the timing of assessments to be guided, and interventions to be individualised.  24-hour overview of the human circadian rhythm, showing key physiological peaks, alertness levels, and hormonal changes throughout the day and night. Still within the scope of preventive medicine, the starting point for a health review is not defined by age-related calendars nor by the presence of symptoms, but rather by the early recognition of functional changes, taking family history and genetics into account. Beginning an assessment at this stage means respecting an individual’s biological timing, interpreting subtle functional signals and anticipating risks before disease becomes established. In this way, the clinical review becomes a strategy of continuous, personalised care, aimed at preserving autonomy and health over time. These notions of the body’s own language interact with our daily activities. Returning to music, we know that a large proportion of Baroque works were written at a tempo of 75 to 80 beats per minute, measured by a metronome (a device used by musicians to regulate tempo by setting beats per minute), which corresponds closely to the average resting heart rate considered normal. It could be said that this synergy is pleasing to most people.  A medical consultation also has its own rhythm, which is sometimes forgotten or even never learned. A consultation has a beginning, a development, a moment of climax and a conclusion. Expressing empathy either too early or at an inappropriate moment disrupts this balance, and the doctor–patient relationship becomes misaligned. Entering the correct frequency to properly understand a patient is a skill that requires a basic sense of rhythm. An andante tempo (a musical term referring to tempos between 72 and 84 beats per minute) closely resembles our heart rate and therefore feels comfortable to us. In other words, at the start of a consultation or during a visit to a patient in a hospital bed, the encounter should follow a rhythm that conveys safety and support from the doctor. This is a skill that should be better recognised and valued by professionals. From the patient’s perspective, the choice of when to undertake a clinical review should be carefully considered and planned for the new year that is beginning. Another, rather striking, story related to rhythm concerns three conductors who died while conducting the third act of Wagner’s opera Tristan and Isolde. The pauses in this passage are intermittent and irregular, creating tension that can affect both mind and body. Karajan, aware of this and seeking to protect himself, would dissipate this intense tension by using breathing movements to distance himself from the musical strain. In life, as in music, it is essential to find the right rhythm for each challenge, especially when it comes to caring for one’s own health.  Authors: Mary Upritchard & Thais RussomanoInnovaSpace Directors & Space Fans! Yet another year has flown by, and we now say goodbye to 2025 and welcome in 2026. Reflecting on the last twelve months in human space exploration, it feels like a year shaped more by consolidation than by any grand spectacle. Crews continued to live and work aboard the International Space Station, commercial astronaut missions became increasingly routine, and long‑planned space programmes quietly adjusted their timelines in response to technical and human realities. Rather than dramatic milestones, 2025 has offered something perhaps more valuable: a year of learning, reassessment, and preparation. Against this backdrop, the year ahead arrives not with grand promises, but with a sense of renewed direction, a year where people, not just missions, come back into sharper focus.  Visual snapshot of human space exploration looking ahead to 2026, from lunar flybys & robotic exploration to life aboard space stations, with people firmly at the centre of story. (Credit: Authors, assisted by Artistly Ai Stepping into 2026 seems like a good time to pause and take stock of where human space exploration really is. Not where the flashiest headlines suggest it might be, but where those working within the field know it to be. After years of delays, redesigns, and reality checks, there is a sense that progress is resuming, carefully and deliberately, with a renewed emphasis on the human being at the centre of spaceflight. 2026 may not deliver dramatic firsts or iconic boot‑prints on planetary surfaces, but it should mark a return to forward motion, and in human space exploration, that truly matters. One of the most symbolically important missions of the year will be Artemis II. This mission is not about landing. It is about learning, or perhaps relearning, how to send people safely into deep space. It is safety‑focused and cautious by design, and that caution feels exactly right.  NASA’s Artemis II mission will carry astronauts beyond low Earth orbit for the first time since Apollo, looping around the Moon in a carefully planned test of deep‑space human flight. (Credit: NASA) While deep space draws attention, low Earth orbit continues to do much of the heavy lifting by laying the research groundwork. The International Space Station remains an extraordinary laboratory for understanding how the human body and mind respond to life in space. Commercial astronaut missions will no longer be a novelty in 2026, but will form part of the regular rhythm of human activity in orbit.
China’s human space programme continues to progress at a calm, steady pace. Crewed missions to the Tiangong space station build long‑duration experience, while robotic lunar missions quietly prepare the ground for future human exploration. Different pathways perhaps, but shared human challenges. Robotic missions may lack the drama of crewed flights, but they are essential. Lunar south‑pole exploration, including the search for water ice, is practical preparation for a future human presence beyond Earth.  China's Chang'e-7 lunar rover due to launch in 2026 will build on the Yutu-2 rover technology that landed on the far side of the moon in January 2019 (Image credit: CLEP/CNSA) From a personal perspective, 2026 will also mark the very welcome return of the IAA Humans in Space Symposium in Montecatini, Italy. As the only international congress dedicated entirely to humans in space, its focus on physiology, psychology, performance, and wellbeing feels particularly timely.  Taken together, 2026 feels like a threshold year. Not exactly a climax, but very much a reset. There is growing recognition that successful exploration is not just about rockets and destinations, but about preparation, evidence, and care for the humans involved. Our one big reflection looking back further? Just imagine where we might be today, in terms of experience and understanding, had so many decades not passed without returning humans to the Moon after the final Apollo mission in 1972. What to Watch in Human Space Exploration in 2026
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