Project 12

Suborbital Flight Assessment of Preserved Red Blood Cells for Transfusion Therapy in Reduced Gravity

(Prof. Thomas Roussel, BIO Engineering)

The NASA Space Technology Roadmap architects anticipated a need for exploration space crews to have access to greater healthcare capabilities and for these teams to function independently as they venture farther away from low Earth orbit. The needs assessment included novel critical care technologies to address trauma and other medical conditions, including radiation-induced anemia, a topic that was reiterated in the 2014 National Research Council review of human space exploration. Our team is developing technology ideally designed for exploration space flight. “Suborbital Flight Assessment of Preserved Red Blood Cells for Transfusion Therapy in Reduced Gravity” is an interdisciplinary effort that integrates unique expertise in red blood cell (RBC) physiology, cell desiccation physiology, and automation of biomedical processes that includes extensive experience conducting multidisciplinary research in reduced gravity. Novel freeze-drying techniques have resulted in the successful preservation of RBCs for more than 1 year and based on the known science behind desiccation-tolerant organisms, optimally dry-preserved RBCs (dRBC) should stay viable for decades. After rehydration, these RBCs are ideal for transfusion therapy in both standard and austere environments, including the reduced gravity experienced during exploration spaceflight and extended Lunar missions. This NASA funded project will refine the methods used to perform and analyze rehydration in extended microgravity conditions provided by suborbital space flight planned in 2026. Summer activities will be to assist in the integration, installation, and testing of the various sub-systems of the suborbital microgravity experiment (quadruplicate) that involves automated reconstitution of dRBCs (electromechanical control and timing; programming), fluid delivery to a custom spectrophotometer (electronics, wiring, flow loop design, optical flow cell identification and installation, custom mounting hardware using 3D printing), and fixation of sample for later analysis.