ABOUT THE EUROPEAN SPACE MEDICINE NETWORK
Through a multidisciplinary approach, the network conducts functional studies using experimental and clinical models on Earth (known as terrestrial analogs) as well as low-Earth orbit experiments and AI-driven in silico studies. These efforts aim to understand how changes in gravity, radiation exposure, and other conditions during spaceflight or on the Moon and Mars affect human immune responses, metabolism, musculoskeletal integrity, and cardiovascular function.
In addition, the network actively develops preventive and therapeutic strategies to mitigate spaceflight-associated pathological processes, including immunosuppression and accelerated aging.
Team Netherlands
Mihai Netea
Professor of Experimental Internal Medicine at the Radboudumc.
Research focus: Immune aging, trained immunity, and how the human immune system responds to challenges.
Marien de Jonge
Professor and the Head of Laboratory of Medical Immunology at the Radboudumc.
Research focus: Host–pathogen interactions, mucosal immunity, respiratory infections, and improving vaccines and diagnostics.
Peter Pickkers
Professor of Intensive Care Medicine at the Radboudumc.
Research focus: Pharmacological modulation of the innate immune response in translational models and patients.
Niels Riksen
Professor of Vascular Medicine at the Radboudumc.
Research focus: Cardiovascular disease, immunometabolism, and trained immunity.
Romana Netea-Maier
Professor of Experimental Internal Medicine at the Radboudumc.
Research focus: Endocrine and immune interactions, with a particular emphasis on thyroid disorders.
Shih-Chin (James) Cheng
Head of Laboratory at the Radboudumc.
Research focus: Trained immunity, immunometabolism, and host–pathogen interactions to understand mechanisms underlying infectious, inflammatory, and immune-mediated diseases.
Quirijn de Mast
Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at the Radboudumc.
Research focus: Infectious diseases, global health, and host–pathogen interactions.
Matthijs Kox
Assistant Professor of Intensive Care Medicine at the Radboudumc.
Research focus: Sepsis and critical care medicine, investigating immune dysregulation and mechanisms underlying severe infectious and inflammatory diseases.
Team Germany
Yang Li
Professor and Director at the Centre for Individualised Infection Medicine (CiiM) and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Hannover.
Research focus: Computational biology, systems immunology, and multi-omics approaches to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying infectious and immune-mediated diseases.