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Andalusia responds to the challenges of Biomedicine in space travel and the deep sea

Saturday September 23, 2023 | Event

  • The medical challenges posed by tourism in space or at the bottom of the oceans will be addressed at SUTUS by Les Roches, which will be held at Les Roches Marbella from 26 to 28 September.
  • Isaac Túnez, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Cordoba, with intensive training at Harvard, will explain at this global event the opportunities that Biomedicine has in the face of new experiences “beyond natural frontiers”.
  • Túnez is the current Secretary General for Public Health and Health R&D&I of the Andalusian Regional Government and is responsible for 5 institutes and 2 thematic centers that bring together more than 4,000 researchers.

Marbella, September 23rd 2023

Humans have adapted to Earth’s gravity. Living healthily in space is therefore a challenge that researchers and astronauts are tackling step by step. Information from experiments on the International Space Station (ISS) is improving our understanding of the human body in this cosmic habitat. This is promoting the study of therapies, training, education and even medicines to promote optimal conditions for our health up there.

At the international SUTUS 23 (Space & Underwater Tourism Universal Summit), to be held from September 26 to 28 at Les Roches Marbella, Professor Isaac Túnez (Dusseldorf, 1972), who received intensive training at Harvard and who currently, as Secretary General for Public Health and R&D&I in Health, is responsible for 5 institutes and 2 thematic centers that bring together more than 4,000 researchers, will explain the new concepts, paradigms and situations facing Aerospace Biomedicine.

The great challenges in terms of health for astronauts, scientists and space tourists outside our gravity are currently focused on:

-Space Telemedicine: enabling astronauts to receive real-time medical care from Earth, with useful applications in remote areas of our planet.

-Regenerative medicine in space: Research is investigating how microgravity affects cell regeneration and tissue repair, which could lead to more effective regenerative therapies on Earth and counteract ageing.

-Cosmic radiation study: Methods are being developed to measure and mitigate the effects of the large solar and cosmic radiation to which astronauts are exposed.

-Personalised space nutrition: Research is investigating how to personalise the diet of astronauts and thus space tourists, based on genetic data and biomarkers, in order to optimise their health and performance in space without affecting the body.

-Advanced medical simulators: Development of simulators to allow professionals to practice medical techniques under realistic conditions in space.

-Space microbiome study: Research on how the microbiome of astronauts changes in space, with implications for understanding diseases and treatments.

Underwater and hyperbaric medicine

As deep-sea tourism becomes more common, biomedicine here faces another set of challenges and specific considerations to ensure the health and safety of underwater tourists. Here are some of the main challenges:

-Decompression sickness caused by rapid ascent to the surface after spending considerable time at great depths. They cause joint pain, body paralysis and neurological problems.

-The effects of water pressure on cardiovascular health.

-As in space medicine, mental health is also vital: you have to be emotionally prepared to travel in submarines or small tourist boats that dive thousands of metres deep.

On the other hand, Andalusia could soon start working on training processes for health care professionals in the field of space conquest on a commercial level.

Demo Zone: Extreme ICU environment

IAVANTE, the training and assessment of professional competencies of the Andalusian Public Foundation for Progress and Health, part of the Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs of the Andalusian Regional Government, will stage an ICU model at a stand to show the methodology to be used in extreme and complex situations of high uncertainty. In other words, how medical professionals would act in scenarios as stressful as a war, the International Space Station or the Artemis missions.

The aim is to replicate a clinical environment in which drastic decisions have to be taken in critical places, whether in the cockpit of an Airbus 320 or in a bathyscaphe of the dimensions of the Titan.

SUTUS 2023 by Les Roches

All SUTUS by Les Roches conferences can be followed through its virtual platform, powered by ‘The Observatory’ of Medina Media Events. Attendees will be able to schedule video meetings with other participants and speakers, as well as visit exclusive online demos.

SUTUS 2023 by Les Roches, under the slogan “Beyond natural borders”, is supported by the Ministry of Tourism of the Andalusian Government, Tourism and Planning of the Costa del Sol, Marbella Town Hall, Progress and Health Foundation of the Department of Health and Consumer Affairs of the Andalusian Regional Government., HALO Space, Marchica Med, ABOVE SPACE, Karlos Simón Viajes y Expediciones and Hotel 5* Alanda Marbella. 

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