Space Seed Holdings and Gifu University Identify Eight Seaweed Compounds for Follow-Up Testing Using Spaceflight Gene-Expression Data
Space Seed Holdings Inc. (“SSHD”) and Gifu University used three public databases to identify eight compounds reported in seaweeds and compare their gene-expression profiles with changes observed in human blood before and after spaceflight. The analysis counted genes whose expression changed in opposite directions across the two datasets, to help prioritize compounds for follow-up experiments. Generative AI assisted with data matching and construction of the analysis pipeline.
The results are exploratory and are intended to set priorities for experiments. The comparison uses separate datasets from astronauts’ blood and compound-treated cell lines, so it does not show that any compound reversed a spaceflight change. Nor does it show that any compound is effective or safe in humans, or that it can be added to foods.
Background
Human gene-expression data from before and after spaceflight, gene-expression changes in cells treated with compounds, and chemical information on seaweed-derived compounds are each available in public databases. However, these databases use different naming conventions and identifiers for compounds and genes, and cross-referencing them takes specialist knowledge and substantial manual work.
In this analysis, generative AI was used to reconcile the databases and build the analysis pipeline, from data acquisition through compound-name matching to scoring. The rules for selecting candidates were kept simple so that each step can be traced. The analysis used publicly available datasets.
The three databases
– SWMD (Seaweed Metabolite Database): 1,191 public records of metabolites found in seaweeds.
– CIGS (Chemical-Induced Gene Signature): expression data for 3,407 genes across 13,221 compounds in the HEK293T and MDA-MB-231 cell lines.
– NASA OSD-53 / GEO GSE47126: gene-expression data from the whole blood of six astronauts, comparing samples from ten days before launch with samples taken immediately after return.
Method
– Compound names were standardized, and only exact matches were retained rather than approximate matches. This may miss some candidates. It produced 15 matching records and eight unique compounds.
– Genes with an adjusted p-value below 0.05 were selected from the astronaut dataset. This gave 11 genes, of which 10 were also measured in CIGS.
– For each compound and cell line, the team counted how many of the 10 genes showed an expression change opposite in direction to the pre- versus post-flight difference in the astronaut dataset. This count is the score used below.
The 11 genes include genes involved in DNA repair, molecular chaperones and the response to oxidative stress. They are related to stress responses associated with spaceflight and are not specific to aging, so the results cannot be taken to mean that the candidates have anti-aging effects.
Results
The eight candidates are apigenin, cholesterol, fucosterol, fucoxanthin, phytol, protocatechualdehyde, stigmasterol and vanillin.
Stigmasterol had the highest score, with opposite-direction expression changes in 7 of the 10 genes in HEK293T cells. Fucoxanthin, phytol, protocatechualdehyde and vanillin each scored 6 of 10 in at least one cell line.
Fucoxanthin is a carotenoid found in seaweeds and is one of the candidates of interest for future testing. Sterols, including stigmasterol, are widely found in living organisms and should not be treated as specific to seaweed.
Results for the same compound differed by cell line. For example, vanillin scored 6 of 10 in MDA-MB-231 cells and 5 of 10 in HEK293T cells. The score counts the direction of change. It does not measure the size of the change or show efficacy in the body.
The results were presented as a poster at Global Algae Summit 2026, held at Sunway University, Malaysia, on August 19, 2026.
Next steps
The team plans to test how gene expression changes with the concentration and treatment time of each candidate in the same cell lines as CIGS, and to measure the expression of the 10 target genes by qPCR or RNA-seq. Tests in cells such as peripheral blood mononuclear cells and vascular endothelial cells could follow.
The team also needs to check, using multiple public datasets, whether the direction of the spaceflight changes is consistent and whether changes in blood cell composition affect the results. Any use in foods or supplements would require separate evaluation of content in foods, extract purity, stability, interactions with other components and acceptable intake.
Comment
Kengo Suzuki, Representative Director and CEO, Space Seed Holdings Inc.
“Using only public data, we identified eight seaweed-derived compounds to study further. Cross-referencing databases from different fields used to take a great deal of time, but generative AI let us carry out those steps efficiently. Fucoxanthin is characteristic of seaweed and also scored relatively high, so it is of particular interest to us because of our work on algae-derived materials. Next, we will test whether these patterns can be reproduced in cell experiments, including at different concentrations and treatment times.”
About Space Seed Holdings Inc.
Space Seed Holdings is a space deep-tech venture builder whose mission is “Turning science fiction into nonfiction.” Its activities span investment, research and venture creation, and include the Fermentation and Longevity Fund program, which supports the practical use of fermentation and longevity technologies. Its long-term goal is to help develop the technologies needed for humans to live in space by 2040, working with partners across different fields.
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