Effects of Weightlessness on Molecular Changes in Cellular Organisms, Animals and Plants: 2nd Edition

A special issue of Biomolecules (ISSN 2218-273X). This special issue belongs to the section "Cellular Biochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 1804

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
1. Department of Microgravity and Translational Regenerative Medicine, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
2. Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
Interests: space medicine; translational regenerative medicine; tissue engineering; cancer research; biomarker
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Following the very successful first edition of our Special Issue, we are pleased to announce the launch of the second edition, “Effects of Weightlessness on Molecular Changes in Cellular Organisms, Animals and Plants: 2nd Edition”.

Space travel has always been a dream of humankind. However, deep space exploration can present significant health challenges, subjecting humans or rodents to longer periods in microgravity (µg) and exposing them to cosmic radiation, hypodynamia, and isolation.

Life in space has substantial effects on health, as has been extensively described. To counteract these problems, the focus of research in recent years has been on cardiovascular changes, bone loss, muscle atrophy and the immune system, among other aspects.

This Special Issue highlights the impact of real microgravity on humans, animals, microorganisms, and plants during spaceflights, addressing the impact of cosmic radiation, available countermeasures against it, and its possible applications on Earth.

In addition, we seek studies that investigate the effects of simulated microgravity on cells, animals and microorganisms. This can be carried out via ground-based facilities that have been created to provide microgravity on Earth and can be used to examine molecular biological changes in cells, plants and microorganisms.

We welcome articles and reviews that report recent advances in gravitational biology, translational regenerative medicine, space medicine and cancer research.  This Special Issue aims to compile omics investigations and bioinformatics studies.

Prof. Dr. Daniela Grimm
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • cells
  • humans
  • animals
  • plants
  • microorganisms
  • microgravity
  • weightlessness
  • cancer research
  • tissue engineering
  • space-related health problems

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

22 pages, 1801 KB  
Review
The Effects of Microgravity on the Structure and Function of Cardiomyocytes
by Luis Fernando González-Torres, Daniela Grimm and Marcus Krüger
Biomolecules 2025, 15(9), 1261; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom15091261 - 30 Aug 2025
Viewed by 1620
Abstract
Spaceflight and microgravity (μg) environments induce numerous cardiovascular changes that affect cardiac structure and function, and understanding these effects is essential for astronaut health and tissue engineering in space. This review compiles and analyzes over 30 years of research on the impact of [...] Read more.
Spaceflight and microgravity (μg) environments induce numerous cardiovascular changes that affect cardiac structure and function, and understanding these effects is essential for astronaut health and tissue engineering in space. This review compiles and analyzes over 30 years of research on the impact of real and simulated μg on cardiomyocytes. A comprehensive literature search was conducted across five databases, and 62 eligible studies involving cardiac cells under μg or spaceflight conditions were compiled and analyzed. Despite the great heterogeneity in terms of cardiac model, microgravity platform, and exposure duration, multiple studies consistently reported alterations in Ca2+ handling, metabolism, contractility, and gene expression. Three-dimensional human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte (HiPSC-CM) models generally showed enhanced tissue maturation and proliferation parameters, suggesting potential therapeutic benefits, while 2D models mostly exhibited stress-related dysfunction. In vivo simulated microgravity studies, such as the hindlimb unloading (HU) model, show structural and functional cardiac remodeling, and real μg studies confirmed various effects seen under the HU model in multiple rodent species. Thus, μg exposure consistently induces cardiac changes at the cellular and molecular level, while model choice, microgravity platform, and exposure duration critically influence the outcomes. Full article
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