The National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) selected 48 research projects to continue its mission to resolve the health and medical challenges related to long-duration space missions.
"As our nation looks toward longer space missions and exploration of the moon and Mars, these projects tightly focus on the health issues, technologies, and medical assessment and care needed for such missions," said Dr. Jeffrey P. Sutton, NSBRI director.
The 48 projects, funded for three-to-four years, will be led by investigators
at 30 institutions.
Selected from a group of 111 research proposals, each project underwent peer review by panels of scientists not affiliated with the Institute and were evaluated for relevance to the NSBRI program. The proposals were in response to a joint NASA and NSBRI research announcement (NRA 03-OBPR-04).
The projects address critical issues such as bone and muscle loss, cardiovascular changes, remote medical care, sleep and human performance, immunology and infection, balance and orientation, neurobehavioral and psychosocial issues, nutrition and physical fitness. Research findings will also impact the understanding and treatment of similar medical conditions experienced on Earth.
Established in 1997 through a NASA competition, the NSBRI is a consortium of leading biomedical institutions including Baylor College of Medicine, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Harvard Medical School, The Johns Hopkins University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Morehouse School of Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Rice University, Texas A&M University, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, University of Pennsylvania Health System and University of Washington.
Nearly half of the projects are slated for universities and laboratories outside the consortium.