Trends in Microbiome and Digital One Health

As we venture deeper into the cosmos, understanding the invisible lifeforms that accompany us is crucial to astronaut health and spacecraft maintenance. Through our extensive research, we've painted a detailed picture of the microbial life that thrives on the International Space Station (ISS) - a vital part of the cosmic ecosystem.

Our Microbial Tracking projects employed cutting-edge molecular techniques, as well as traditional culturing methods, to compile a comprehensive census of the ISS's unseen inhabitants. An exhaustive "omics" inventory, casting a revealing light on the shifting populations of microbes in the unique environment of space. These shifts could represent both valuable allies and potential threats to human health.

In our journey of discovery, we delved into the world of microbial prevalence using amplicon sequencing, metagenomics, and resistomes. As we mapped out approximately 3,000 bacterial and fungal strains, we discovered several new species. We'll share the intriguing details of these new lifeforms, along with our findings on the virulence traits of fungi and their production of potentially beneficial secondary metabolites.

Our groundbreaking Environmental "Omics" project isn't just for the books - it has real-world applications. The ultimate aim of our microbial tracking research is to harness these insights to enhance human health within closed systems, such as the ISS. We're working to translate our foundational research into tangible benefits, like pathogen detection and countermeasure development, to improve health outcomes for those who live and work in space.

For transparency and to spur innovation, we've made our "omics" datasets accessible via NASA's GeneLab bioinformatics platform, which includes a robust database and improved computational tools. We invite the scientific community to leverage these resources, contributing to the ongoing exploration of life - seen and unseen - in the final frontier.