Cell/Tissue Culture Radiation Exposure Facility, Phase II

We propose the development of automated systems to improve radiobiology research capabilities at NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). Current radiobiology experimentation at the NSRL is limited primarily by the amount of time required to manually move samples to/from the radiation target area. Additionally, the NSRL facility currently does not support processing of samples during or directly after radiation exposure, or long duration radiobiology studies. Our proposed automated system will address the above issues as follows. First, an automated sample movement system will be developed to reduce the overhead time of the current manual system of moving samples to/from the radiation target area. Second, an Online Assay System will be designed to provide immediate sample analysis, such as sample fixation and freezing, to allow a better understanding of the radiation effects on the samples. Third, the Single Loop for Cell Culture (SLCC, developed by Payload Systems Inc. for NASA) system design will be modified to support long duration radiobiology research. In addition, the system will also support animal experiments.

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.

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