The Immune System in Space: Are we prepared? (eBook)

Alexander Choukèr is Professor of Medicine at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) in Munich, Germany and guest lecturer at King´s College, London, UK. He is clinical specialist in Anesthesiology at the University Hospital where heads the “Stress and Immunity” research. His medical and immunological training was received at the LMU and at the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Bethesda/USA, respectively. For almost about two decades he has been actively involved in research on the International Space Station, in space analogue environments and been leading inter-disciplinary teams for translational and experimental research. He is member of the European Space Sciences Committee (ESSC) and has been advisor and chairman of the European Space Agency´s (ESA) Life Sciences Working Group and the ESA Topical Team on Immunology. Oliver Ullrich is Full Professor (Ordinarius), Chair of Anatomy, at the University of Zurich and Professor (Hon.-Prof.) of Space Biotechnology in the Department of Machine Design (IMK), Engineering Design and Product Development, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Germany. He is leading key research projects in the life sciences research program of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), conducted so far during 17 parabolic flight campaigns, 4 sounding rocket missions and 3 orbital missions, including the International Space Station (ISS). He is elected Academician of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) for lifetime, Head of Space Medicine / Life Sciences and Member of the Council, German Society for Aerospace Medicine and Project Director and Chairman of the Swiss Parabolic Flight Platform.

Immune system in evolution.- The immune system and man – environment interaction from the clinical and from fundamental research perspectives.- The effects of Space and Space like conditions on Immune functions from the clinical and from fundamental perspective.- The upcoming venues: Individualized preventive or therapeutic measure, - In vitro and in vivo tools to measure the efficacy of such measures.- Summary.