NASA-funded institute wants to help protect astronauts in spaceflight

The Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH) at Baylor College of Medicine, along with the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), is seeking scientific proposals to counteract wear and tear on astronauts during spaceflight.

The NASA-funded Institute's Biomedical Research Advances for Space Health (BRASH) solicitation is investing in science to protect astronauts on future Artemis missions and more. Deep space exploration presents astronauts with many physiological stressors, such as increased radiation exposure and gravity changes, and psychological stressors from isolation, confinement, and the inherent danger in such an environment.

Consequently, astronaut health is impacted as tissues degrade, DNA is damaged, and more. The BRASH solicitation aims to reduce risks to crew member health through supporting the development of disruptive technologies, therapies, or novel approaches to enhancing pre-existing internal cellular repair functions, improving the body's endogenous repair and maintenance systems.

"TRISH is committed to finding new approaches to increase endogenous repair. This is needed to safeguard health in the extremes of space, and has applications for Earth, through improvements to cellular repair, healing, or normal wear-and-tear that occurs with physical and mental challenges as well as aging," said Dorit Donoviel, TRISH's Executive Director.

Step-1 proposals are due by January 26, 2022 by 5 p.m. EST, and Step-2 proposals from selected investigations will be due April 19, 2022 by 5 p.m. EST, with final selections being announced October 2022. Proposals can be submitted here, and TRISH is hosting a webinar for potential proposers on December 17, 2021 at 2 p.m. EST to answer questions about the BRASH 2201 solicitation, which can be registered for here.