Professor Odette Laneuville, wearing a white lab coat, stands in front of a screen displaying an image of the International Space Station orbiting Earth.
Source: University of Ottawa
National Geographic recently featured the groundbreaking work of Professor Odette Laneuville and her team in an article entitled “Astronauts are more likely to get sick while in space. Here’s why.”

Professor Laneuville has devoted much of her career to understanding how genetic factors contribute to deconditioning, which is the progressive decline in physical and physiological function due to prolonged inactivity. While deconditioning is commonly associated with aging, chronic illness, or extended bed rest, astronauts also experience its effects due to the microgravity environment of space.

Over seven years, Professor Laneuville’s team conducted extensive genetic sequencing and analysis on blood samples from 14 astronauts who lived aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The goal: to uncover the biological mechanisms that underlie deconditioning and develop strategies to counteract its effects.

Deconditioning leads to muscle weakness, reduced cardiovascular endurance, fatigue, and impaired mobility, which can limit autonomy and decrease overall quality of life. Managing the complex changes associated with deconditioning requires a multidisciplinary approach that involves physiotherapists, psychologists, nutritionists, and physiatrists (i.e., doctors specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation), who work together to help the patient regain their independence. However, despite weeks of rehabilitation therapy, some patients fail to show improvement, which raises an important question for Professor Laneuville: why do some patients respond to treatments while others don’t?

To answer this, her team turned to astronauts. Space provides a unique environment to study deconditioning because microgravity mimics prolonged physical inactivity. Despite being in peak physical condition, astronauts experience rapid physiological changes in space, notably a suppression of their immune system. This weakened immunity can reactivate dormant viruses, like herpes and chickenpox. Although these viruses are manageable on Earth, they could pose serious health risks on long-duration space missions.

“If an astronaut’s chickenpox virus reactivates into shingles, they require medical care,” Laneuville explains. Her research aims to identify biomarkers that predict immune decline, which could help prevent severe health issues before they arise, both in space and for patients on Earth.

MARROW insignia on the ISS cupola observatory module with the Earth in the background.
Image Credit: Canadian Space Agency, NASA

The MARROW Project: A rare research opportunity

The Marrow Adipose Reaction: Red Or White (MARROW) project began in 2016, after Professor Laneuville’s team secured funding and access to a rare NASA astronaut study. Such studies occur only once every five-to-ten years, making this a truly exceptional opportunity for scientific advancement.

The research involved meticulous planning and execution. Initially, the team collected pre-flight blood samples from the astronauts to establish a baseline. During space missions, samples were sent back to Earth using specialized capsules and cargo shuttles that were parachuted into the ocean or to a desert in Kazakhstan. Post-flight samples were collected from NASA headquarters in Houston. This operation required “a lot of paperwork, protocol development, and patience,” Laneuville recalls.

Once the precious samples arrived at uOttawa, they were processed by Laneuville, sequenced at the Genome Quebec facility in Montreal, and then the data was analyzed in her Laneuville’s laboratory. Laneuville’s was the only team in the world with access to in-flight blood samples from 14 astronauts, including three women. This extensive dataset allowed for detailed investigations into immune system changes and alterations in gene expression, which were pivotal to the research.

Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut David Saint-Jacques, aboard the International Space Station, holds medical research equipment, including a syringe and sample collection kit.
Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut David Saint-Jacques, aboard the International Space Station, holds medical research equipment, including a syringe and sample collection kit.

The success of this study was a true team effort, involving close collaboration between experienced researchers and dedicated students. Professor Laneuville worked alongside Dr. Guy Trudel, a physician and physiatrist with whom she has collaborated for nearly 30 years. “Guy introduced me to deconditioning research, and we’ve worked together on many projects, including bedrest studies and this astronaut project,” Laneuville explains. “We write project proposals, develop experimental protocols, and co-author papers. It’s a comprehensive partnership.”

Students were also integral to the project: they contributed fresh ideas and handled much of the hands-on work. Daniel Stratis, an MSc student specializing in statistics and informatics, managed the massive sequencing datasets, which spanned millions of files per sample. His work led to two major publications and a nomination for a prestigious thesis award. Megan MacIntyre-Newell, another MSc student, extracted white blood cells from over 200 samples, demonstrating remarkable resourcefulness and dedication. “Our students bring fresh perspectives refine our research and keep everything running smoothly,” Professor Laneuville emphasizes. “They are essential to our success.”

Professor Laneuville’s lab received vital support from the Canadian Space Agency, which helped fund materials, sequencing, and student stipends. The European Space Agency financed the bed rest studies, while NASA and other international space agencies primarily supported astronaut research. International collaboration made this groundbreaking research possible.

Of course, space research comes with challenges—from securing competitive funding to handling frozen blood samples sent from space. But Laneuville says the effort is worth it: “I love what I do. As long as I have ideas and funding, I’ll keep going."

Ultimately, Professor Laneuville’s work aims to improve healthcare, both for astronauts venturing to Mars and for people recovering from illness or injury here on Earth. She is very grateful to the astronauts and bed rest volunteers who participated in the study, saying “I wish I could thank each of them personally. Their contributions are invaluable to our research.”

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