Notice Number: NOT-TR-16-011

Key Dates
Release Date: April 11, 2016

Issued by
National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)

Purpose

The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) intends to promote a new program for research on the International Space Station United States National Laboratory (ISS-NL). This program will seek to leverage recent advances in tissue engineering and microfabrication to create microphysiological systems and organ-on-chip technology platforms that recapitulate human physiology to understand the molecular basis of human disease and/or the effectiveness of diagnostic markers and therapeutic intervention for disease treatment. NCATS, NASA, and the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) share a common interest in translating models of living human tissues on microchips and related novel technologies for the microfabrication of human cell-based systems to the ISS-NL to understand the molecular and cellular basis of human disease in microgravity. To that extent, NCATS and CASIS have established an MOU in order to promote communication and interaction among the NIH, CASIS and other research communities, specifically in relation to the NIH NCATS Tissue Chip Program to facilitate space-related research. Translation of this research to the ISS-NL promises to accelerate the discovery of molecular mechanisms that underlie a range of common human disorders and advance understanding of therapeutic targets and treatments in a reduced fluid shear, microgravity environment that recapitulates cellular and tissue matrices of Earth.

An informational webinar will be hosted April 28th, 2016 from 1pm to 4pm EST. The webinar will provide interested investigators an opportunity to meet and interact with personnel that have specific expertise in developing spaceflight experiments for the ISS-NL.

You must register to attend the webinar.  When you click onto the link https://nih.webex.com/nih/onstage/g.php?d=624768327&t=a, you will be asked to give your name, email, affiliation and brief description of your expertise.  You will need to complete this portion in order to join.

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to:

Danilo A. Tagle, Ph.D.
National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)
Telephone: 301-594-8064
Email: danilo.tagle@nih.gov