NASA selected 15 experiments to be funded through its most recent research announcement for opportunities in space biology research. Ten of these experiments will be conducted aboard the International Space Station in the near future. Five others will be ground-based studies.

NASA’s Space Biology Program will fund the proposals to investigate how cells, plants and animals respond to microgravity. Space biology scientists will examine and discover underlying mechanisms of adaptation to changes resulting from the spaceflight environment. This research will help determine how cells and organisms regulate and sustain growth, metabolism, reproduction and development. These studies could provide a foundation upon which other NASA researchers and engineers can build approaches and countermeasures to the problems confronting human exploration of space. It also could lead to new biological tools or applications on Earth.

The selected proposals are from 12 institutions in 10 states and will receive a total of about $4 million during a one- to three-year period. Scientific and technical experts from academia and government reviewed the proposals.

For a complete list of the selected principal investigators, organizations and proposals, visit: http://go.nasa.gov/ObK2j1

For information about NASA and agency programs, visit: http://www.nasa.gov

PI Name Organization Proposal Address
Delp, Michael University of Florida Disuse Osteopenia: A Potential Vascular Coupling Mechanism Dept. Applied Physiology and Kinesiology100 FLG, PO Box 118205Gainesville,FL 32611
Ferl, Robert University of Florida Molecular Biology of Growth and Cell Remodeling within the Spaceflight Environment Department of Horticultural Sciences1301 Fifield Hall, Box 110690Gainesville,FL 32611
Nicholson, Wayne University of Florida Development of Multiple Antibiotic Resistance by Opportunistic Bacterial Pathogens during Human Space Flight Microbiology and Cell ScienceSpace Life Sciences LaboratoryRoom 201-B, Building M6-1025/SLSLKennedy Space Center, FL 32899
Paul, Anna-Lisa University of Florida Cell Signaling in Undifferentiated Cells – Perceiving the Environment without Specialized Tissues Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology Program1301 Fifield HallGainesville,FL 32611
Pandey, Santosh Iowa State University Integrative Response of C. elegans to Environmental Stresses in Microgravity Electrical and Computer Engineering2126 Coover HallAmes,IA 50011
Irudayaraj, Joseph Purdue University Defining epigenetic programming during flight expeditions in differentiating embryonic stem cells Agricultural and Biological Engineering225 S University StABE 215 BuildingWest Lafayette,IN 47907
Brandizzi, Frederica Michigan State University Mechanisms for Plant Adaptation to Space Environment Plant Research Laboratory106 Plant BiologyEast Lansing,MI 48824
Hammond, Tim Durham VA Medical Center Evolution of Genotypic and Phenotypic Changes in Yeast related to Selective Growth Pressures Unique to Microgravity 508 Fulton StDurham,NC 27705
Judex, Stefan Stony Brook University Genes that Predict the Loss of Bone during Weightlessness Biomedical EngineeringBioengineering Building, 213Stony Brook,NY 11794
Blancaflor, Elison The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation Utilizing the Advanced Biological Research System (ABRS) on the International Space Station (ISS) to uncover Microgravity’s Impact on Root Development and Cell Wall Architecture Plant Biology Division2510 Sam Noble PkwyArdmore,OK 73401
Turner, Russell Oregon State University Role of Marrow Adipocytes in Bone Loss during Simulated Spaceflight 3910SW Country Club DriveCorvallis,OR 97333
Elefteriou, Florent Vanderbilt University Medical Center Vestibular stimulation: a countermeasure for bone loss during long-term space mission? Medicine2215 Garland Avenue, Room 1225ENashville,TN 37232
Lawler, John Texas A&M University Redox Regulation of nNOS Translocation and Muscle Atrophy During Mechanical Unloading Health & Kinesiology4243 Tamu, 276B Read Bldg.Redox Biology & Cell Signaling Lab.College Station,TX 77843
Wu, Honglu NASA Johnson Space Center miRNA Expression Profiles in Cultured Human Fibroblasts in Space Human Adaptation and Countermeasures Office2101 NASA Parkway, Mail Code SKHouston,TX 77058
Gilroy, Simon University of Wisconsin – Madison BRIC: Mapping Spaceflight-Induced Hypoxic Signaling and Response Department of Botany430 Lincoln DrMadison,WI 53706