ibSLS as a biobank for democratizing access to multi-omics data and biospecimens from spaceflight research.

Abstract

During spaceflight, astronauts are exposed to extreme conditions such as microgravity, cosmic radiation, and confinement, which can cause a wide range of health problems. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying these issues and to develop intervention strategies for maintaining physiological homeostasis during space missions, space life science research using mouse models is actively conducted on the International Space Station (ISS). However, because of the high cost and technical complexity of spaceflight experiments, it is essential to maximize the scientific value of each mission by ensuring broad accessibility to both data and biospecimens. To this end, we present the integrated biobank for Space Life Science (ibSLS; https://ibsls.megabank.tohoku.ac.jp ), a data-visualization and sample-sharing platform that provides access to transcriptomic and metabolomic datasets generated from Mouse Habitat Unit (MHU) missions conducted by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The platform features a user-friendly interface, tools for cross-mission analysis, and links to human multi-omics databases to support cross-species interpretation. In addition, ibSLS facilitates biospecimen requests to support downstream research. By promoting open access to spaceflight-derived data and biological resources, ibSLS encourages the participation of researchers from diverse fields in space life science.