Overview
Since the inception of aerospace travel, NASA has been collecting biospecimens from professional astronauts for research. With the recent growth of civilian aerospace travelers, there is a need for biospecimen banking for civilian astronauts. This protocol addresses this gap by being a biobank for civilian astronauts, their family members (to be controls) and others who are also doing travel to extreme environments (pilots, submariners).
Description
The objective of the University of Central Florida College of Medicine's Biobank for Extreme Environments, Aviation and Space Travel (BEEAST) is to acquire, store, and distribute identifiable human biospecimens and health information for medical research purposes only. The target population are astronauts, aviators, submariners, persons living in extreme environments (such as Antarctica), and their families, and people from the general population who can serve as matching controls.
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria:
- Primary Enrollees: adults, ages 18 and older, and persons who travel (such as space travel) or live in extreme environments (such as Antarctica).
- Secondary Enrollees: Referred adult family members (such as siblings and spouses) of primary enrollees.
- Tertiary Enrollees: Adult persons from the general public can enroll to serve as matching controls. Tertiary enrollees will be screened based on age, gender, race and ethnicity, country of residence, disease/ conditions and employment history.
- Pregnant women may choose to enroll.
Exclusion Criteria:
- adults unable to consent,
- minors (under age 18)
- prisoners