Current Opportunity
Tissue Chips 2.0
Notice of Funding Opportunity
Tissue Chips 2.0: Translational Multi-Organ Tissue Chip Systems for Drug Efficacy, Toxicity Testing, and Personalized Medicine in Human Health, Aging and Associated Diseases
The purpose of this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFP) is to develop multi-organ automated microphysiological systems (MPS) to study the effects of microgravityThe condition of perceived weightlessness created when an object is in free fall, for example when an object is in orbital motion. Microgravity alters many observable phenomena within the physical and life sciences, allowing scientists to study things in ways not possible on Earth. The International Space Station provides access to a persistent microgravity environment. on the human body in low Earth orbit(Abbreviation: LEO) The orbit around the Earth that extends up to an altitude of 2,000 km (1,200 miles) from Earth’s surface. The International Space Station’s orbit is in LEO, at an altitude of approximately 250 miles. on the International Space Station National Lab.
NLRAThe abbreviation for an ISS National Lab Research Announcement. NLRAs are one of the ISS National Lab’s primary mechanisms to solicit proposals in specific research areas. / NSF Solicitation #:
NLRA Open Period:
7/25/2024 – 10/18/2024
Strategic Focus:
Fundamental Science
Research Area:
Tissue Chips
NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration astronaut Christina Koch works on a tissue chipA tissue chip, or organ-on-a-chip or microphysiological system, is a small engineered device containing human cells and growth media to model the structure and function of human tissues and/or organs. Using tissue chips in microgravity, researchers can study the mechanisms behind disease and test new treatments for patients on Earth. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has a multiyear partnership with the ISS National Laboratory® to fund tissue chip research on the space station. investigation inside the Life Sciences Glovebox onboard the ISSInternational Space Station.
Media Credit: NASA
This program will provide insights on human patho(physiology), especially aging-related functional decline and age-related diseases. The multi-organ MPS configuration will allow better modeling of the whole organism. Improved automation with extended longevity of MPS will facilitate longer experiments in space and the collection of more physiologically relevant data. The inclusion of samples representing the broad spectrum of diversity in the human population will allow for better modeling of aging progression and development of interventions.