Beyond Earth’s Shield: Canadian Research Probes Space Radiation Risks
As humanity prepares to return to the Moon, scientists are tackling one of the deepest spaceflight challenges: biological damage from cosmic radiation.
In a historic step for the Artemis II mission, Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen and his three crewmates became the first people in over 50 years to travel beyond low Earth orbit. Reaching approximately 400,000 kilometers from Earth, they splashed down in the Pacific Ocean after a test flight paving the way for future lunar exploration. The mission underscored a critical risk: the biological toll of space radiation as humans push farther from Earth’s protective magnetic field.
Tiny Organs, Massive Implications
To understand this threat, researchers at Western University and Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) are developing groundbreaking "organ-on-chip" and "organoid-on-chip" systems.
These devices replicate the complexity of human tissue inside transparent chambers the size of a postage stamp. A nutrient-rich fluid flows through tiny channels, mimicking natural blood flow to keep living human cells alive. This allows scientists to observe, in real time, how tissues react under stress—such as exposure to radiation.
"The goal is to better understand tissue damage in cancer patients, astronauts in deep space, and nuclear workers," says physics and astronomy professor Tamie Poepping, who advances these organ-on-chip systems.
Professor Eugene Wong, who studies human responses to radiotherapy, is using these chips to examine the biological effects of radiation with unprecedented detail.
Tracking Damage in Real Time
A key advantage of this technology is its ability to go beyond simply observing cell death. It allows scientists to track intermediate biological responses—like metabolic changes and stress markers—as they happen. This provides a deeper understanding of how and why tissue damage occurs over time and distance.
Christopher Pin is investigating why cancer patients respond differently to treatments by growing organoids, miniature 3D tissue models, to study this variability.
At CNL, researchers Antonella Bertucci and Marcelo Vazquez are adapting these systems for radiobiology experiments, focusing on applications for emergency response and the unique environment of deep space.
A Collaborative Effort
This research is partially supported by NSERC and Western's Institute for Earth and Space Exploration, with key trainee placements at CNL in Chalk River, Ontario. The collaboration represents a critical step in safeguarding human health—whether that human is a patient receiving treatment, a nuclear worker, or an astronaut venturing to the Moon.