Dwayne Brown
Headquarters, Washington                    Nov. 21,2001
(Phone:  202/358-1712)

RELEASE:  01-230

JOINT NASA/NCI RESEARCH TO DEVELOP SENSORS 
FOR HEALTH MONITORING INSIDE THE HUMAN BODY

     NASA has selected seven researchers to receive grants 
totaling approximately $11 million over three years to develop 
new biomedical technologies to detect, diagnose and treat 
disease inside the human body.

The selected proposals will develop and study nanoscale (one-
billionth of a meter) biomedical sensors that can detect 
changes at the cellular and molecular level and communicate 
irregularities to a device outside the body.

Such technological advances will enable NASA to monitor and 
treat the health of astronauts in space and -- on Earth -- 
provide the National Cancer Institute (NCI) with new 
technologies to identify and treat specific types of cancer at 
their earliest stages.

Sponsored by NASA's Office of Biological and Physical Research 
in collaboration with NCI, this research program offers 
scientists the opportunity to collaborate on the development 
of minimally invasive microscopic sensors that will advance 
and support health monitoring and patient care.

NASA and NCI received 53 proposals in response to their 
solicitation. These proposals were all peer-reviewed at NCI by 
scientific and technical experts from academia, government and 
industry.

A list of the selected principal investigators, institutions 
and research titles (by state) can be found on the Internet 
at:
http://SpaceResearch.nasa.gov

More detailed information about the NASA/NCI research program 
is available at:
http://NASA-NCI.arc.nasa.gov

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