[1/3] The International Space Station (ISS) is photographed by Expedition 66 crew member Roscosmos cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov from the Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft, in this image released April 20, 2022. "A weaker immunity increases the risk of infectious diseases limiting astronauts' ability to perform their very demanding work in space. Gene expression in 247 genes in leukocytes was at about one third the normal levels while in space, the study found. Before this paper, we knew of immune dysfunction but not of the mechanisms," said study co-author Guy Trudel, an Ottawa Hospital rehabilitation medicine specialist. Discovering altered gene behavior in leukocytes is "a significant step toward understanding human immune dysregulation in space," Trudel added.

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Persons: Pyotr Dubrov, Odette Laneuville, Guy Trudel, Trudel, Epstein, Barr, Will Dunham, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Space, Expedition, Soyuz, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, University of Ottawa, Canadian Space Agency, NASA, Ottawa Hospital, Thomson Locations: Handout, Canada, Ottawa