Hines J W
NASA-Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000, USA.
Acta Astronaut. 1996 Feb-Apr;38(4-8):261-7. doi: 10.1016/0094-5765(96)00025-2.
Researchers in space life sciences are rapidly approaching a technology impasse. Many of the critical questions on the impact of spaceflight on living systems simply cannot be answered with the limited available technologies. Research subjects, particularly small animal models like the rat, must be allowed to function relatively untended and unrestrained for long periods to fully reflect the impact of microgravity and spaceflight on their behavior and physiology. These requirements preclude the use of present hard-wired instrumentation techniques and limited data acquisition systems. Implantable sensors and miniaturized biotelemetry are the only means of capturing the fundamental and critical data. This same biosensor and biotelemetry technology has direct application to Earth-based medicine and surgery. Continuous, on-line data acquisition and improved measurement capabilities combined with the ease and flexibility offered by automated, wireless, and portable instruments and data systems, should provide a boon to the health care industry. Playing a key role in this technology revolution is the Sensors 2000! (S2K!) Program at NASA Ames Research Center. S2K!, in collaboration with space life sciences researchers and managers, provides an integrated capability for sensor technology development and applications, including advanced biosensor technology development, spaceflight hardware development, and technology transfer and commercialization. S2K! is presently collaborating on several spaceflight projects with dual-use medical applications. One prime example is a collaboration with the Fetal Treatment Center (FTC) at the University of California at San Francisco. The goal is to develop and apply implantable chemical sensor and biotelemetry technology to continuously monitor fetal patients during extra-uterine surgery, replacement into the womb, through birth and beyond. Once validated for ground use, the method will be transitioned to spaceflight applications to remotely monitor key biochemical parameters in flight animals. Successful application of NASA implantable biosensor and biotelemetry technologies should accelerate the advancement of this and other modern medical procedures while furthering the exploration of life in space.
太空生命科学领域的研究人员正迅速逼近技术瓶颈。关于太空飞行对生命系统影响的许多关键问题，仅靠现有的有限技术根本无法解答。研究对象，尤其是像大鼠这样的小型动物模型，必须在相对无人照料和不受束缚的状态下长时间活动，才能充分反映微重力和太空飞行对其行为及生理的影响。这些要求排除了使用当前硬连线仪器技术和有限数据采集系统的可能性。植入式传感器和小型化生物遥测技术是获取基础关键数据的唯一手段。同样的生物传感器和生物遥测技术可直接应用于地面医学和外科手术。持续的在线数据采集、改进的测量能力，再加上自动化、无线和便携式仪器及数据系统所带来的便捷与灵活性，应为医疗保健行业带来福音。在这场技术革命中发挥关键作用的是美国国家航空航天局艾姆斯研究中心的“传感器2000！（S2K！）”项目。S2K！与太空生命科学研究人员及管理人员合作，提供传感器技术开发与应用的综合能力，包括先进生物传感器技术开发、太空飞行硬件开发以及技术转让与商业化。S2K！目前正与多个具有两用医疗应用的太空飞行项目展开合作。一个典型例子是与加利福尼亚大学旧金山分校的胎儿治疗中心（FTC）合作。目标是开发并应用植入式化学传感器和生物遥测技术，在宫外手术、重新植入子宫、直至分娩及之后的过程中持续监测胎儿患者。一旦在地面使用得到验证，该方法将转用于太空飞行应用，以远程监测飞行动物的关键生化参数。美国国家航空航天局植入式生物传感器和生物遥测技术的成功应用应能加速这一及其他现代医疗程序的进展，同时推动太空生命探索。
