Volume 10, Number 4 • July/August 2002 • Technology Transfer

Glenn Founds Biomedical Engineering Consortium

The Biomedical Engineering Consortium (BEC) consists of the following members: NASA Glenn National Center for Microgravity Research, Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals of Cleveland and Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Artwork courtesy of Glenn Research Center.

The Cleveland, Ohio biomedical community is coming together to make use of a $7.5-million NASA Office of Biological and Physical Research (OBPR) grant devoted to reaching NASA’s goal of protecting astronauts’ health while in long-term space flight.

A signing event that took place on June 7 in the Space Experiments Laboratory at NASA Glenn Research Center marked the starting point for interdisciplinary research and development in 10 biomedical areas. The signing ceremony cemented the establishment of a Biomedical Engineering Consortium (BEC), which consisted of the following members: NASA Glenn National Center for Microgravity Research, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Clinic Foundation and University Hospitals of Cleveland.

Bill Sanford, interim president of BioEnterprise Corporation, as part of the BEC concluded, “This is a terrific project for Northeast Ohio that will showcase the value of the space program, demonstrate the extraordinary biomedical engineering capabilities of our institutions, enhance the economic vitality of our region and contribute to a healthier population everywhere.”

Over the next three years of funds dispersal, member organizations will pool their unique skills in the disciplines of physics, chemistry, biology and engineering to research human health, safety and performance in space. According to NASA’s OBPR Associate Administrator, Mary Kicza, “Long-term space flight exposes human beings to physiological and psychological health risks from radiation, reduced gravity and isolation, and requires the ability to provide crew medical care remotely.” Through medical research and projects concerning fluid physics and sensor development, new technologies could emerge that would be applicable to medical needs in space as well as on Earth.

While there are no known immediate threats to an astronaut’s health while in space, it is thought that microgravity conditions can contribute to kidney stones, loss of protein or loss of calcium over the long term. Atmospheric conditions or altered body chemistry can cause an insufficiency in the body, preventing it from using nutrients to effectively conduct the amount of energy needed for upkeep or activity. Research on stress on the body over a long-term flight has not yet been thoroughly recorded or analyzed. Q

For more information, contact Marsha Nall at Glenn Research Center, phone: 216/433-5374, Marsha.M.Nall@grc.nasa.gov. Please mention you read about it in Innovation.

NASA Official: Jonathan Root • Web Design: Printing & Design Office, NASA Headquarters • Credits