In a significant step toward strengthening India’s capabilities in human spaceflight and biomedical science, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences New Delhi has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Space Research Organisation to collaborate on research in the emerging field of space medicine.

The agreement establishes a framework for joint research between AIIMS and ISRO’s Human Space Flight Centre, aimed at understanding how the human body behaves and adapts in the extreme conditions of outer space, including microgravity, radiation exposure, and long-duration space missions.

The MoU was signed by Prof. M. Srinivas, Director of AIIMS New Delhi, and Dinesh Kumar Singh, Director of the Human Space Flight Centre at ISRO, in the presence of senior leadership from both institutions. The collaboration marks an important milestone in aligning India’s medical research ecosystem with the country’s expanding space exploration ambitions.

Under the partnership, researchers will conduct both ground-based and space-based studies focusing on several critical areas of space medicine. These include human physiology, cardiovascular and autonomic regulation, musculoskeletal health in microgravity, microbiome and immunology, genomics, biomarkers, and behavioural health.

Scientists and clinicians from the two institutions will also work together to develop medical protocols, biomedical technologies, and countermeasures to protect astronaut health and performance during space missions. Such research is expected to play a vital role in supporting India’s upcoming human spaceflight initiatives and future long-duration missions.

Experts believe the collaboration will contribute significantly to India’s human spaceflight programme, including future missions under the Gaganyaan initiative and potential plans for a national space station. Beyond space exploration, insights from space medicine research could lead to new diagnostic tools, medical devices, and treatment approaches that benefit healthcare systems on Earth.

Speaking on the occasion, AIIMS leadership emphasized that interdisciplinary collaboration between space scientists and medical researchers will not only advance scientific discovery but also open new frontiers in medical innovation.

The partnership underscores a growing trend in which space exploration and healthcare research are converging, with discoveries made in microgravity environments often translating into breakthroughs in biomedical science, telemedicine, and advanced diagnostics.