APPLICATIONS OF SPACE MEDICINE MODELS IN CLINICAL RESEARCH
Human hypoxia models, which are the focus of this review, offer a tool for studying various physiological processes and diseases. These models have gained popularity, particularly for replicating hypoxic conditions in healthy humans and studying the effects of hypoxia on the body in a controlled manner. One promising application of hypoxia models is in cancer research, as tumor cells are known to thrive in low-oxygen environments. Similarly, hypoxia models could aid in the study of cardiovascular and neurological diseases, which are also characterized by a decrease in oxygen supply to tissues. Furthermore, by understanding how the body responds to hypoxia in extreme environments such as high altitudes and space travel, researchers could develop new ways to improve human health in the future. There is a need for more standardisation and validation of the different published models [103]. Overall, healthy human hypoxia models offer significant potential for advancing our understanding of various diseases and physiological processes. However, other human models developed for space medicine may also have applications for human drug development. A good example are head-down tilt bedrest studies, which produces musculoskeletal and cardiovascular deconditioning as well as cephalad fluid shifts resembling those produced by real weightlessness [104].