On August 15, 2024, the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory and NASA announced a joint solicitation for space-based research focused on addressing significant diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegenerative disease. The ISS National Lab Research Announcement (NLRA) 2024-09, titled „Igniting Innovation: Science in Space to Cure Disease on Earth,“ aims to overcome challenges hindering progress in disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. This collaboration will offer up to $4 million in total funding for two to three awards for translational and transformative research and technology development.
The goal of this joint solicitation is to leverage the unique space environment of the ISS to improve existing technologies or develop new ones that can help solve health problems on Earth. Diseases like cancer and cardiovascular, immune, muscle and bone, and neurodegenerative diseases face obstacles that impede scientific advancements and the translation of research findings into clinical applications. By utilizing microgravity through ISS National Lab resources, researchers hope to accelerate disease models and find innovative solutions to these challenges.
The NLRA aims to foster collaboration between academia, industry, and government to develop innovative and commercially viable products and technologies that can improve medical outcomes on Earth. Some of the topics of interest for this solicitation include enhanced models to study disease mechanisms, population and disease heterogeneity, drug screening and development, drug delivery, and drug resistance and toxicity.
Last month, at the annual ISS Research and Development Conference in Boston, the ISS National Lab and NASA announced the selection of five projects through the inaugural Igniting Innovation NLRA. These projects aimed to harness the unique space environment to advance cancer research for the benefit of patients on Earth.
ISS National Lab Chief Scientific Officer Michael Roberts expressed pride in collaborating with NASA’s Biological and Physical Sciences division on this important initiative. He highlighted the success of the previous solicitation in 2023, which resulted in the selection of five innovative concepts to benefit patients on Earth. Roberts looks forward to enabling access to even more ideas that ignite innovation and fuel research and development for the benefit of humanity.
Lisa Carnell, director of NASA’s Biological and Physical Sciences division, emphasized the long history of space-based research contributing to advancements on Earth. She expressed excitement about continuing the Igniting Innovation solicitation to potentially make significant contributions to disease therapies. The collaboration between the ISS National Lab and NASA aims to address some of the biggest health challenges facing the world today.
The research announcement will follow a three-step proposal submission process, with the first step requiring Concept Summaries to be submitted by the end of the day on September 26, 2024. Those interested in learning more about this research announcement can register for a webinar hosted by the ISS National Lab on August 22, 2024, at 1 p.m. EDT.
For more information on this funding opportunity and how the space-based environment can accelerate research and technology development for the benefit of life on Earth, interested individuals can visit the official solicitation page. The ISS National Lab serves as a unique laboratory that enables research and technology development not possible on Earth. Through this orbiting national laboratory, researchers can leverage the multiuser facility to improve quality of life on Earth, advance science literacy, and expand a sustainable market in low Earth orbit. CASIS manages the ISS National Lab, facilitating access to its research environment in low Earth orbit and the extreme conditions of space.
In conclusion, the joint solicitation between the ISS National Lab and NASA represents a significant opportunity to advance research and technology development for the benefit of humanity. By leveraging the unique environment of the ISS, researchers aim to address some of the most pressing health challenges facing society today. Through collaboration and innovation, this initiative has the potential to make a meaningful impact on disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment on Earth.
