On-Demand Urine Analyzer, Phase I

This Small Business Innovation Research program will develop a novel surface-enhanced Raman (SER) sensor that will perform real-time chemical analysis of urine. It will provide key physiologic information to monitor astronaut health and indicate appropriate preventative treatment. The Phase I program will demonstrate feasibility by establishing the ability of sol-gel chemistry to both select key chemicals: amino acids, biomarkers, drugs, and metabolites, and enhance their Raman signals. The Phase II program will design and build a prototype ?On-Demand Urine Analyzer? for ground-based measurement. This will include interfacing the SER sensor between a sampling system and a Raman instrument. The Phase II program will also design a low mass, low power version of this system (Figure 1) to be used on the International Space Station (ISS) and other vehicles employed during extended space flight missions (e.g. Mars expedition).

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.