por 
THE BAJA POST
NEWSROOM
SOURCE: PR NEWSMEDIA
The International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory is collaborating with NASA on a solicitation for space-based research addressing some of the most significant diseases of our time—such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegenerative disease. ISS National Lab Research Announcement (NLRA) 2024-09: Igniting Innovation: Science in Space to Cure Disease on Earth, released in partnership with NASA’s Biological and Physical Sciences division, is aimed at overcoming challenges hindering progress in disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. This NLRA will offer up to $4 million in total funding for an expected two to three awards for multiflight translational and transformative research and technology development.
Through this joint solicitation, the ISS National Lab and NASA seek projects that leverage the space environment to improve existing or develop new technologies that help solve health problems on Earth. Therapies for cancer and cardiovascular, immune, muscle and bone, and neurodegenerative diseases face obstacles that thwart scientific advancements and the translation of research findings into clinical applications. These challenges frequently overlap and share common elements, despite the complexity and variability of mechanisms within and among these diseases. Many of these challenges can be mitigated using accelerated disease models in microgravity through ISS National Lab resources.
This NLRA aims to foster collaboration between academia, industry, and government to develop innovative, commercially viable products and technologies to improve medical outcomes on Earth. Below are topics of particular interest for this NLRA:
- Enhanced Models to Study Disease Mechanisms: It is difficult to unravel the intricate dynamics of disease onset and progression and to identify effective therapeutic targets. Leveraging microgravity to improve cell-based models like tissue chips and organoids could deepen understanding of disease mechanisms and lead to personalized therapies.
- Population and Disease Heterogeneity: Population and disease heterogeneity pose significant obstacles to drug discovery. Variability in genetic and demographic factors, such as age and sex, leads to differing treatment responses across individuals. Genetic and phenotypic diversity in diseases themselves must also be considered.
- Drug Screening and Development: Microgravity enables high-throughput drug screening in 3D cell cultures and tissue models that more accurately simulate the human body. Innovative approaches and technologies to identify preclinical drug candidates are needed to accelerate development of new, more effective therapeutics.
- Drug Delivery: Innovation in drug delivery, such as nanotechnology and targeted therapies, is vital to enhance treatment precision and reduce side effects. Additionally, the absence of well-defined biomarkers complicates treatment selection, and innovative strategies for biomarker discovery are needed to improve treatment outcomes.
Drug Resistance and Toxicity: Drug resistance poses significant challenges in treating many diseases. For example, cancer cells can become resistant due to genetic mutations or changes in signaling pathways, decreasing drug efficacy. Additionally, the toxicity of treatments like chemotherapy requires careful balancing of efficacy and adverse effects.
