Space samples to be stored in Lisbon for preservation
The European Space Agency (ESA) has chosen Portugal's Instituto Gulbenkian de Medicina Molecular (GIMM) in Lisbon to host its new repository of biological samples collected during space missions or in experiences that simulate weightlessness on Earth. This marks a significant step forward for European biomedical space research.
This is the first infrastructure of its kind in Europe, and Portugal joins the frontline of science that crosses space and health. The GIMM biobank, part of the Academic Center of Medicine of Lisbon (CAML), will preserve valuable samples such as blood, urine, tissues, or microorganisms, from astronauts and volunteers involved in experiments like the Vivaldi III project.
The biobank at GIMM is not just an archive, but will help answer fundamental questions about how the human body ages in space, how tissues and organs adapt, and the long-term impact of weightlessness on health. Several studies have already demonstrated the effects of a stay in space on the human body, including the devastating effect of space on astronauts' bones and research with human cells in space revealing secrets of aging.
The GIMM biobank meets the criteria of the European network BBMRI-ERIC, dedicated to the most stringent quality and safety standards in sample preservation. The Portuguese Space Agency sees this biobank as a strategic opportunity for the country, and ESA describes this project as a way to preserve knowledge for future generations.
The project will be implemented in two phases, with the first samples expected to arrive in Lisbon in the last quarter of 2025. The first four months of the project will serve to define and validate operational, security, and transportation protocols.
While the current search results do not provide direct information about the ESA's collaboration with GIMM specifically, collaborations between space agencies like ESA and biomedical research institutes typically aim to investigate how microgravity, radiation, and other conditions of space affect human physiology at molecular, cellular, and systemic levels to improve astronaut health and inform space medicine. Common objectives might include understanding muscle atrophy, bone loss, immune response alterations, and genetic or molecular changes during spaceflight.
However, without direct citations from the search results, it is not possible to specify the key findings or objectives of any specific ESA-GIMM collaboration on space travel effects. If you need detailed or updated information about this topic, I recommend checking official ESA releases or GIMM scientific communications directly. This week, the contract between ESA and GIMM was signed, marking a new chapter in European biomedical space research.
This collaboration between the European Space Agency (ESA) and Portugal's Instituto Gulbenkian de Medicina Molecular (GIMM) aims to delve into the medical-conditions and health-and-wellness aspects of astronauts during space missions, contributing to space-and-astronomy research. The GIMM biobank, a part of this project, will serve as a valuable resource for studying the impact of weightlessness on long-term health and aging.
