A Medical Device Daily

The National Institutes of Health and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration are partnering to conduct biomedical experiments that astronauts could perform on the International Space Station.

In a notice to scientists at universities, medical centers, and companies across the U.S., the NIH reported its willingness to fund highly meritorious biomedical experiments that could utilize the unique environment in space and produce breakthroughs to improve human health on Earth.

The International Space Station provides a special microgravity and radiological environment that Earth-based laboratories cannot replicate. Congress, recognizing the immense promise the facility holds for American-led science and technology efforts, opened the U.S. portion of the International Space Station to other federal agencies and university and private sector researchers when it designated the U.S. resources as a National Laboratory in 2005.