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My Journey into the 'World' of Space Omics

By Subhrajit Barua

Published on 15/07/2025

It all began with the two things that I've always been curious about: life and space.

Growing up, I found myself captivated by concepts such as "The Origin of Life" and "The Fermi Paradox," but I studied biotechnology when I began university because I loved the idea that microscopic things could have macroscopic consequences—for example, how a single gene could make or break an entire organism. However, my desire to learn about those cosmic questions of where we came from and what else is out there never subsided, and, alongside my coursework, I became committed to reading articles about spacewalks and the challenges of growing lettuce on the space station.

Back then, I didn’t even know “space biology” was an actual field, let alone what “space omics” was. In fact, like many of us in the life sciences, I was first introduced to omics in the final year of my Bachelor’s, through genomics lectures, proteomics lab sessions, and bioinformatics exercises. But space? That felt like it was a world apart, figuratively and literally. Everything changed one afternoon when I stumbled upon a webinar co-hosted by NASA GeneLab and the Space Medicine and Life Sciences Project Group (SMLS-PG) under the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC). I didn’t know it then, but that webinar would open a door to a whole new dimension of science.

What Is Space Omics?

Before I dive any deeper, let’s define the term first. Space omics refers to the application of genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and related fields to study how biological systems respond to the space environment, specifically to conditions like microgravity, radiation, and isolation. Think of it as regular omics, but with space as your test tube.

In space, cells behave differently. Genes get expressed in unusual ways. Protein folding suffers significant changes. Microbes evolve faster. Even human immune systems start to act oddly. That’s where omics tools come in. They help us decode the biological language of adaptation, resilience, and sometimes breakdown. And thanks to initiatives like NASA GeneLab, a massive public database of omics datasets from spaceflight experiments, we can explore those changes with real data.

The First Steps: Pine Biotech and T-BioInfo

Once I realized space omics was an actual field, I had a new problem: I needed to upskill, and upskill fast. That’s when I found Pine Biotech’s Omicslogic programs. Their T-BioInfo platform wasn’t just user-friendly; it made complex omics analysis genuinely accessible. With Omicslogic and the T-BioInfo platform, I wasn’t just learning new tools, I was understanding how to work with data and connect numbers with living systems.

During my time there, I not only polished my bioinformatics skills but also created a course on space omics for beginners, something I wish I had when I was starting out. I even took on a mini research project analyzing differential gene expression in zebrafish exposed to microgravity conditions. (You can read the preprint here). It was quite a fulfilling experience. Finally, I was doing real science with real space data!

A screenshot from the course Barua created on Space Omics

NASA GeneLab’s AWL: A Deep Dive Into Collaboration

Encouraged by this progress, I applied to join NASA GeneLab’s Multi-Omics Analysis Working Group (AWG), led by Dr. Afshin Beheshti. Getting accepted felt surreal. It wasn’t just about being on a mailing list. I was now interacting with pioneers like Dr. Christopher Mason, who worked on the famous NASA Twins Study, and Dr. Betül Kaçar, whose work in molecular evolution is reshaping how we think about life’s origins, and the like. Through the Multi-Omics AWG, I learned how space omics projects are truly executed, from dataset curation and quality control to functional enrichment and hypothesis-driven design. I also got a behind-the-scenes look at how NASA GeneLab operates as a collaborative and open-science platform. Their rigor, transparency, and innovation left a lasting impression.

Barua is presenting some of what he learned to share his knowledge

Where I Am Now

These days, I’m weaving together all the lessons I’ve learned. As a PhD student at the Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics University (ITMO) in Saint Petersburg, I’m focusing on developing space farming systems, a project that blends biotechnology, systems biology, and omics analysis. I’m involved in multiple space biology initiatives beyond ITMO, too, such as at Life-To and Beyond Foundation®, where I am exploring how neuronal cells respond to extraterrestrial environments and how their impact can shape human life.

I still attend events hosted by the Space Generation Advisory Council project group Space Medicine and Life Sciences (SMLS-PG), contribute to space biology forums, and work with peers to push this niche forward. However, I have also been lucky enough to be able to present my space omics work at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) on multiple occasions and get feedback from peers and experts. I am proud to be a part of this small but growing and passionate community.

Why This Field Matters (and Why You Might Want to Join)

As space agencies and private companies gear up for long-duration missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond, space biology isn’t a side note anymore; it’s at the helm. Understanding how living systems adapt (or fail to adapt) is crucial for astronaut health, biomanufacturing, planetary protection, and sustainable off-Earth habitats. And here's the beautiful part: you don't need to be an astronaut or even a space scientist to contribute. If you're a biologist, bioinformatician, a student, or just curious about life beyond Earth, there's a place for you in space omics.

Where to Start

If you’re interested, here are some places that helped me:

NASA GeneLab: Explore open-access omics datasets from real spaceflight experiments.
https://genelab.nasa.gov
SGAC's SMLS-PG: Join a network of young professionals and students focused on space life sciences.
https://spacegeneration.org
Pine Biotech – OmicsLogic: Learn bioinformatics through real datasets and project-based learning.
https://omicslogic.com/

In the end, I would like to remind you that I am still a student, still learning, but now orbiting in a scientific domain I never even knew existed a few years ago. Space omics isn’t just about decoding DNA in space. It’s about expanding the frontier of what we know about life itself.

And if that excites you, maybe it’s your field too.

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