The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is funding a solicitation searching for projects that use the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory to advance tissue engineering and mechanobiology research. 

Through the solicitation, NSF will provide up to $1.6 million in funding for multiple projects.

Microgravity has an impact on organisms from bacteria to humans, resulting in changes in gene expression and DNA regulation, altered cellular function and physiology, and 3D aggregation of cells, the ISS said in a statement.

Research exploiting these effects can lead to advances in the modeling of healthy and pathological tissues and organs, disease diagnosis and treatment, regenerative medicine and other areas within bioengineering and the biomedical sciences.

The solicitation follows a two-step proposal process whereby interested investigators must first submit an ISS National Lab Feasibility Review Form for the assessment of the proposed concept’s operational feasibility. The deadline for submission for the form is January 15, 2025. 

Investigators whose concept passes the Feasibility Review step will be invited to submit a full proposal. The full proposal submission deadline is March 18 of next year.

THE LARGER TREND

NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 launched to the International Space Station (ISS) on Sept. 28, and one of the ISS National Lab-sponsored investigations included a student-led project designed to investigate the consequences of radiation and the space environment on gene-editing mechanisms.

In August, the ISS National Lab and NASA unveiled a new solicitation, the National Lab Research Announcement (NLRA), which will offer up to $4 million spread out over two to three awards for projects that leverage the space environment and technology to develop therapies for diseases on Earth.

In 2022, four astronauts went to the ISS as part of SpaceX's 5th Commercial Crew mission to begin a six-month venture into space-based research. 

The Crew-5 astronauts, who launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, brought multiple research investigations sponsored by the ISS National Lab. During the mission, the astronauts supported hundreds of research and technology-development investigations, several which were sponsored by the ISS National Laboratory.