Through a partnership with outside researchers and scientists, NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston is uncovering exciting new technologies that not only will protect the health of astronauts in space, but also hold great promise for the detection and early treatment of illness and disease on Earth.

This partnership began with a vision from U.S. Rep. John Culberson, R-Texas. With support from U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, the congressman believed that combining Houston’s vast resources in education and research was key to capitalizing on nanotechnology to solve medical challenges.

Nanotechnology holds great potential in the miniaturization of critical technology, including nanomaterials delivering targeted, preventative medicines to diseased areas of the body. For Johnson, using nanotechnology in the body pre-dosed with medicines to predict health risks and automatically administer appropriate medicines will enable astronauts to lead healthy, productive lives during long-term space travel.

Johnson’s objective of creating long-lasting preventative and treatment therapies utilizing nanotechnology dovetails with that of the Alliance for NanoHealth (ANH). The ANH, consisting of seven world-class research institutions, scientists and clinicians, is the first multidisciplinary, multi-institutional collaborative research endeavor aimed solely at using nanotechnology to bridge the gaps between medicine, biology, materials science, computer technology and public policy. Formed against the backdrop of two of Houston’s strengths—medicine and nanotechnology—the ANH is committed to providing new clinical approaches to saving lives through better diagnosis, treatment and prevention of illnesses.

A researcher spends time in the nanotechnology laser lab working to develop innovations that will solve medical challenges in space and on Earth.

Coinciding with the formation of the alliance was the introduction of the National Nanotechnology Initiative, which strengthens scientific disciplines and creates critical interdisciplinary opportunities. For this initiative, the government earmarks several billion dollars for the research and trial of the use of nanotechnology.

Looking to further NASA’s initiative in deep space exploration, Johnson partnered with the ANH to develop improved technology for the remote monitoring and health care of astronauts, whose bodies are prone to tremendous strains because of extended space travel. In addition, the time line for realizing the full benefits envisioned by nanomaterials—10 to 15 years—scales well with Johnson’s projected schedule for returning to space.

One of the research challenges facing the ANH-Johnson partnership is how to utilize nanotechnology, in the form of nanotubes, to administer medicines to astronauts to diminish the negative effects of radiation, which they are exposed to during space travel.

Advances in terrestrial medicine also are on the partnership’s research agenda. One area being examined is the use of nanotubes to identify diseased areas of the body long before current methods can diagnose the disease.

Researchers are working to uncover new technologies that not only will protect the health of astronauts in space, but also hold great promise for the detection and early treatment of illness and disease on Earth.

Success is being seen in an approach to cancer therapy involving a new nanotechnology. Nanospectra Biosciences, a company started from research out of Rice University, is using gold nanoshells to identify and target tumors. Gold nanoshells are administered into the body and heated with an external light; when the nanoshells light, they kill the tumor. This directed thermal ablation targets and kills the cancer, whereas current radiation and chemotherapy spreads damage throughout the body. Nearly one in 10,000 molecules actually makes it to the site of the cancer, so in many cases more damage is done by the toxic chemotherapy than the cancer itself. Nanospectra’s nanoshell technology is in pre-clinical validation now, and initial results already have shown it to be successful in live mice.

The ANH member institutions are the University of Texas Health Sciences in Houston, Rice University, University of Houston, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston and Texas A&M University. The two-year-old alliance focuses on three areas of research: nanotechnology, bio-analytics and bioinformatics. Two of the most promising areas are targeted therapeutics, such as the work underway at Nanospectra Biosciences, and molecular imaging, whose applications include injecting nanomaterials into the body to identify and treat diseased areas. The ANH also is committed to recruiting the talent and acquiring the investment necessary to promote nanotechnology in the Houston area.

For more information, visit www.nanohealthalliance.org.

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NASA Official: Janelle Turner • Web Design: Printing & Design Office, NASA Headquarters • Credits