Bioengineering in Microgravity Workshop; International Space Station US National Laboratory Virtual Symposium

该奖项将支持将贡献与空间生物工程相关的新知识的研究。国际空间站美国国家实验室将主办一个虚拟研讨会，与大约50名不同的科学家、工程师和临床医生建立战略合作伙伴关系。这项合作将利用他们的翻译专业知识来加速对基础科学的理解，这可能会通过研究近地轨道上的生物现象来实现生物医学的突破。研讨会的目标是：1)利用科学家、工程师和临床医生的翻译专业知识，加快我们对如何在太空(近地轨道)开发或测试生物医学突破的理解；2)制作一份书面文件，详细说明讨论的结果。具体地说，这份文件将确定研究领域和发现，以推动近地轨道环境的思维领导，以及这项工作如何最终导致临床翻译。这是为改善人类而做的工作，可能会对美国经济产生重大好处。在微重力环境中进行研究的能力为基础研究提供了前所未有的机会。在再生医学的框架下，会议确定了四个重点领域：干细胞；生物制造和3D生物打印；有机/微生理系统；人工智能(AI)和机器人学。除去重力的影响，对整个生物体的细胞行为、细胞-细胞相互作用、组织发育和再生以及聚集相互作用的集体基础知识做出了重大贡献。国际空间站上的开创性生物工程实验与地面研究相结合，表明微重力使研究在单位重力条件下无法实现的新特征成为可能。这些变化包括干细胞增殖率和分化的变化。在微重力下打印生物组织也有望在使用低粘度生物材料或生物墨水以及制造透明、复杂结构方面具有优势。这些过程在很大程度上依赖于受引力场影响的生物力学和机械生物学线索。通过这种方式，国际空间站为推进生物力学和机械生物学的基础研究提供了前所未有的机会。这一跨学科研讨会的参与者将负责确定并公开传播微重力生物工程未来进展的路线图。对于目前资助生物工程研究的资助者来说，这一结果将是至关重要的。生物工程研究依赖于减少微重力环境。这一结果将使这些机构及其支持的研究人员能够适当地规划未来的项目和研究。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award will support research that will contribute new knowledge related to bioengineering in Space. The International Space Station US National Laboratory will host a Virtual Symposium to strategically partner with approximately 50 diverse scientists, engineers, and clinicians. This collaboration will leverage their translational expertise to accelerate the understanding of fundamental science that could lead to biomedical breakthroughs by studying biological phenomena in Low Earth Orbit. The goals of the Symposium are: 1) to leverage translational expertise from scientists, engineers, and clinicians to accelerate our understanding of how biomedical breakthroughs can be developed or tested in space (low earth orbit); 2) produce a written document detailing the results of the discussions. Specifically, this document will identify research areas and findings to propel thought leadership of the low earth orbit environment, and how this work could ultimately lead to clinical translation. This is work for the betterment of humankind and could have significant benefits to the US economy. The ability to perform research in a microgravity environment provides unprecedented opportunities for fundamental research. Under the umbrella of Regenerative Medicine, four focus areas for the Symposium have been identified: Stem cells; Biofabrication and 3D bioprinting; Organoids/microphysiological systems; Artificial intelligence (AI) and Robotics. Removing the effects of gravity has contributed significantly to the collective fundamental knowledge of cellular behavior, cell-cell interactions, tissue development and regeneration, as well as the aggregate interactions in the context of a whole organism. Pioneering bioengineering experiments on the International Space Station coupled with ground-based studies have demonstrated that microgravity enables the study of novel features not attainable under unit gravity conditions. These include changes to stem cell proliferation rates and differentiation. Printing biological tissues in microgravity also promises advantages in the use of lower-viscosity biomaterials or bioinks and the ability to fabricate diaphanous, intricate structures. These processes are heavily reliant on biomechanical and mechanobiological cues that are affected by the gravitational field. In this way, the International Space Station provides an unprecedented opportunity to advance fundamental research in biomechanics and mechanobiology. The participants of this interdisciplinary workshop will be tasked with determining and then publicly disseminating the roadmap for future advances in microgravity bioengineering. The results will be critical for funders that currently sponsor bioengineering research which relies on reduced microgravity environments. The results will enable these agencies and the researchers they support to appropriately plan for future programs and studies.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.