The Worldwide House Station Nationwide Laboratory (ISS Nationwide Lab) and NASA introduced a brand new solicitation, the Nationwide Lab Analysis Announcement (NLRA), which can supply as much as $4 million unfold out over two to a few awards for tasks that leverage the area atmosphere and expertise to develop therapies for illnesses on Earth.
The joint solicitation focuses on tasks that present enhanced fashions to check the onset and development of illnesses and deal with inhabitants and illness heterogeneity, drug screening and improvement, drug supply, like nanotechnology, and drug resistance and toxicity.
The pair is looking for tasks that concentrate on creating therapies for most cancers, immune, cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, and muscle and bone illnesses.
The NLRA notes that illness fashions might be accelerated in microgravity utilizing the ISS Nationwide Lab’s sources and, subsequently, can mitigate lots of the challenges usually confronted with translating analysis findings into medical functions.
“House-based analysis has an extended historical past of contributing to developments on Earth,” Lisa Carnell, director of NASA’s Organic and Bodily Sciences division, mentioned in an announcement.
“Persevering with the Igniting Innovation solicitation may contribute to the following huge leap in illness therapies. We’re excited to collaborate with the ISS Nationwide Lab on this endeavor to assist deal with a few of the largest well being challenges dealing with the world at present.”
The solicitation opened on Aug. 15 and closes on March 3, 2025.
THE LARGER TREND
One other group funding tasks for area well being analysis to enhance illness remedies on Earth is the Translational Analysis Institute for House Well being (TRISH).
TRISH’s Catalyst Grant Program is a steady open name for proposals from organizations creating expertise for area well being that deal with vital wants, advance ideas with optimistic preliminary findings and embrace modern tasks outdoors of the scope of the group’s regular solicitations.
Different corporations working with NASA on well being expertise analysis tasks in area embrace Elon Musk’s SpaceX, medical online game firm LevelEx and digital reality-based psychological well being firm XRHealth.
