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].