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Translational Research Institute for Space Health

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The Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH) is a virtual, applied research consortium that pursues and funds translational research and technologies to keep astronauts healthy during space exploration,[1] with the added benefit of potential applications on Earth.[2] TRISH is specifically focused on human health in preparation for deep space exploration efforts, including National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Artemis missions to the Moon, and future human missions to Mars.[3] TRISH also supports research to collect and study biometric data gathered on commercial spaceflight missions to better understand the effect of spaceflight on the human body.[4]

The consortium is led by Baylor College of Medicine, and includes Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and California Institute of Technology,[1] with funding awarded to scientists and organizations around the United States.[5] TRISH works directly with NASA's Human Research Program (HRP) to establish and coordinate research efforts that align with NASA’s goal of safely furthering human exploration while mitigating risks to human health.[1]

History

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TRISH was founded in 2016,[3] and Baylor College of Medicine was selected as the lead institution in an agreement with a maximum potential value of $246 million for a six-year performance period.[6] TRISH succeeded the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI), a similar research institute also led by Baylor College of Medicine.[7]

In 2021, NASA opted to renew TRISH, granting additional funding of up to $134.6 million between 2022 and 2028.[3] When NASA reviewed TRISH in December 2020, it found that “TRISH had developed and transitioned 34 completed astronaut health and protection projects to NASA and had connected 415 first-time NASA researchers with opportunities to develop space health solutions.”[3]

TRISH supports NASA's Human Research Program (HRP), founded in 2005, as outlined in TRISH's strategic plan.[8] The goals of the HRP are to provide knowledge and technology to mitigate risks to human health and performance and develop tools to enable safe and productive human space exploration.[9]

Effects of space on the human body

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In January 2023, The Washington Post reported an interactive feature on the known effects of space travel to the human body, and noted TRISH's work. In the article, TRISH Chief Medical Officer Emmanuel Urquieta stated “Space is just not very hospitable to the human body,” explaining that humans evolved on Earth with abundant gravity and low radiation, whereas space is characterized by minimal gravity and higher radiation exposure.[10]

This environment can lead astronauts to experience space adaptation syndrome, muscle atrophy, decreased blood volume, altered immunity and DNA damage from radiation exposure, loss of bone, sensory changes, psychological stress, and inflammation, among other potential complications. Interventions to prevent these outcomes include routine exercise while in space, as well as pharmaceutical and dietary supplements.[10] Additionally, changes in blood flow and digestion rate are likely to affect how the body processes and tolerates medications, an area requiring further study.[11]

Trips to the Moon and Mars will require astronauts to spend more time in space than ever before, potentially exacerbating known deleterious effects of space travel to the human body. In April 2022, NPR's Brendan Byrne described one of TRISH's goals as “to understand how and why the body changes while in space and prepar[e] future astronauts for those health effects. That's important to understand if space agencies like NASA want to send humans to places like the Moon or Mars. Those trips could be longer than Vande Hei [‘s] almost yearlong mission. And the environments on the lunar surface and the red planet will be harsh, with limited medical resources.”[4]

Leadership

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TRISH's leadership includes executive director Dorit B. Donoviel, chief scientific officer Jennifer Fogarty, and chief medical officer Emmanuel Urquieta.[12]

TRISH's board of directors includes chair Jeffrey P. Sutton, along with members Barbara Wold, and Elazer Edelman.[12]

Consortium members

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Research areas

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TRISH researchers pursue scientific research in several fields, including:

  • Cellular and Molecular Biology[13]
  • Behavioral Health[14]
  • Environment, Food and Medication[15]
  • Medical Technology[16]
  • Radiation[17]

Involvement with private spaceflight missions

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As part of its EXPAND (Enhancing eXploration Platforms and Analog Definition) Program, TRISH has partnered with several commercial space providers on private spaceflight missions to gather spaceflight participant health data before, during, and after space travel.[18][19] These may include tests on motor function, eye health, motion sickness, and cognitive wellbeing, among others.

TRISH-funded researchers have collected biomedical data from spaceflight participants aboard the Inspiration4 mission, the Axiom Mission 1, and Space Adventures’ MZ Mission.[20][21][22] TRISH researchers will also collect biomedical data from astronauts on the upcoming Polaris Dawn and Ax-2 missions.[23]

Biomedical data gathered from private spaceflight participants adds to the diversity and volume of data available for space health researchers.[24] TRISH maintains a centralized research database, the EXPAND Program, which hosts pre-, in-, and post-flight health data from multiple commercial space flights.[25][26]

Outreach

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TRISH leadership regularly appears at conferences and workshops, including SXSW,[27] HRP's annual Investigator's Workshop, and conferences and meetings hosted by the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR), Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA), International Astronautical Congress, and others.[28]

Funding for researchers and companies

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TRISH offers funding for innovative research and technology projects through several mechanisms. Funding opportunities include the Biomedical Research Advances for Space Health (BRASH) solicitation, Industry solicitation, Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, and Catalyst Grant Program. TRISH's open solicitations are housed on the Institute's Grant Research Integrated Dashboard (GRID), an online portal, or the NASA NSPIRES portal.[29] Previous solicitation topics have requested proposals on topics such as endogenous repair,[29] metabolic manipulation,[29] microphysiological systems,[30] such as Tissue on a Chip,[31] and technologies in support of autonomous health care.[32]

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "The Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH)". NASA.
  2. ^ a b "Translational Research Institute for Space Health". Baylor College of Medicine.
  3. ^ a b c d Furr Mericas, Laura (February 12, 2021). "Houston research organization receives renewal from NASA and millions in funding for space health projects". Innovation Map.
  4. ^ a b Byrne, Brendan (April 8, 2022). "4 astronauts will help scientists learn how space travel affects the human body". NPR.
  5. ^ "TRISH Funding Award Announcements". Baylor College of Medicine.
  6. ^ "NASA Establishes Institute to Explore New Ways to Protect Astronauts". NASA.
  7. ^ "New Releases: NASA Extends Cooperative Agreement With NSBRI". NASA.
  8. ^ "NASA'S TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR SPACE HEALTH 2016-2028 STRATEGIC PLAN" (PDF). Baylor College of Medicine.
  9. ^ "Human Research Program Architecture". NASA.
  10. ^ a b Reynolds, Gretchen; Neff, William (January 12, 2023). "The many, many reasons space travel is bad for the human body". Washington Post.
  11. ^ Newton, William (October 6, 2022). "The future of medicine in space: drug development, manufacturing, and beyond". Clinical Trials Arena.
  12. ^ a b "Meet the TRISH Team". Baylor College of Medicine.
  13. ^ "Cellular and Molecular Research". Baylor College of Medicine.
  14. ^ "Behavioral Health Research". Baylor College of Medicine.
  15. ^ "Environment, Food and Medication Research". Baylor College of Medicine.
  16. ^ "Medical Technology Research". Baylor College of Medicine.
  17. ^ "Radiation Research". Baylor College of Medicine.
  18. ^ Dusang, Kaylee. "Space Health Institute launches first commercial spaceflight medical research program". Baylor College of Medicine.
  19. ^ Byrne, Brendan. "A new era of space science takes flight thanks to private civilian missions". NPR.
  20. ^ "Commercial Spaceflight". Baylor College of Medicine.
  21. ^ "Axiom Mission 1 is a research-focused mission, setting the standard for future private astronaut crews". Axiom Space.
  22. ^ "MZ MISSION TO THE ISS". SpaceAdventures.
  23. ^ "Polaris Program will Undertake a Series of Pioneering SpaceX Dragon Missions, Demonstrating New Technologies and Culminating in the First Human Spaceflight on Starship". Polaris Program.
  24. ^ Harms, Natalie. "Houston organization launches the first commercial spaceflight medical research program". Innovation Map.
  25. ^ Dusang, Kaylee. "Space Health Institute launches first commercial spaceflight medical research program". Baylor College of Medicine.
  26. ^ Urquieta, Emmanuel; Wu, Jimmy; Hury, James; Donoviel, Dorit (March 22, 2022). "Establishment of an open biomedical database for commercial spaceflight". Nature Medicine. 28 (4): 611–612. doi:10.1038/s41591-022-01761-y. ISSN 1546-170X.
  27. ^ "Space Health: Surviving in the Final Frontier". SXSW Schedule. SXSW.
  28. ^ "Translational Research Institute for Space Health Events". Baylor College of Medicine.
  29. ^ a b c "Grant Research Integrated Dashboard". Baylor College of Medicine.
  30. ^ "TRISH Space Radiation Solicitation". nspires.nasaprs.com.
  31. ^ Bokhari, Rihana S.; Beheshti, Afshin; Blutt, Sarah E.; Bowles, Dawn E.; Brenner, David; Britton, Robert; Bronk, Lawrence; Cao, Xu; Chatterjee, Anushree; Clay, Delisa E.; Courtney, Colleen; Fox, Donald T.; Gaber, M. Waleed; Gerecht, Sharon; Grabham, Peter (2022-11-01). "Looking on the horizon; potential and unique approaches to developing radiation countermeasures for deep space travel". Life Sciences in Space Research. 35: 105–112. doi:10.1016/j.lssr.2022.08.003. ISSN 2214-5524.
  32. ^ "IS YOUR COMPANY READY TO MEET THE NEEDS OF HEALTH'S NEW FRONTIERS?" (PDF). Baylor College of Medicine.
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