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National Laboratory Pathfinder - Vaccine - Salmonella (NLP-Vaccine-Salmonella)
03.22.12

Overview | Description | Applications | Operations | Results | Publications | Images

Experiment/Payload Overview

Brief Summary

National Laboratory Pathfinder - Vaccine - Salmonella (NLP-Vaccine-Salmonella) investigation uses microgravity to examine Salmonella, a pathogenic (disease-causing) organism, to develop a potential vaccine for the prevention of infection on Earth and in microgravity.

Principal Investigator

  • Timothy G. Hammond, M.B.B.S., Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States

    • Co-Investigator(s)/Collaborator(s)

    Information Pending

    Payload Developer

    University of Colorado at Boulder, BioServe Space Technologies, Boulder, CO, United States

    Sponsoring Space Agency

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

    Sponsoring Organization:

    National Laboratory Office (NLO)

    ISS Expedition Duration:

    October 2007 - March 2013



    Expeditions Assigned

    16, 17, 18, 19/20, 23/24, 27/28, 33/34

    Previous ISS Missions

    The NLP-Vaccine series of investigations began on STS-123/1JA during ISS Expedition 16.

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    Experiment/Payload Description

    Research Summary

    • Salmonella strains of bacteria are the most common cause of food poisoning world-wide, and a major cause of childhood death worldwide. In the United States, illnesses caused by Salmonella cost billions of dollars annually. There is currently no vaccine available for the common forms of salmonella gastroenteritis.


    • National Laboratory Pathfinder - Vaccine - Salmonella (NLP-Vaccine-Salmonella) uses a unique and simple model of infection. The Salmonella is grown in space under conditions known to effect bacterial potency. The strains identified as the least potent following microgravity exposure are selected as candidates for use in vaccine development on Earth.


    • Salmonella and Caenorhabditis elegans worms are launched separated, then serially mixed, grown and fixed in flight. Once the experiment is completed on orbit and returned to Earth, analysis of virulence (infection potential) is completed by the investigator.

    Description

    The 2005 NASA Authorization Act designated a portion of the International Space Station (ISS) as a National Laboratory. To fulfill that mandate, NASA is providing an opportunity for non-governmental entities to conduct research and development and potentially industrial processing on board the ISS. These opportunities aboard the ISS are considered National Lab Pathfinder (NLP) missions. These NLP missions launch to the ISS on each available shuttle mission.

    National Laboratory Pathfinder - Vaccine - Salmonella (NLP-Vaccine-Salmonella) takes advantage of knowledge gained in previous space flight studies of microorganisms. This investigation grows several species of Salmonella, including Salmonella enteriditis, Salmonella enterica and Salmonella typhirium, in microgravity to affect the virulence (infection potential). Salmonella is a rod-shaped, flagellated, aerobic, gram-negative bacterium. Salmonella strains are the most common cause of food poisoning world-wide, and a major cause of childhood death worldwide. In the United States, illnesses caused by Salmonella cost billions of dollars annually. There is currently no vaccine available for the most common forms of salmonella gastroenteritis caused by these pathogens.
    Each flight opportunity of this investigation provides additional insight about the bacteria and the changes that are occurring as they grow in space. The knowledge is applied to streamline and accelerate the development of vaccines and therapeutics on Earth.

    The Salmonella microbes and the Caenorhabditis elegans worms are launched separated and serially mixed, grown and fixed in flight. Once the experiment is completed on orbit and returned to Earth, analysis of virulence is completed by the investigator.

    NLP-Vaccine-Salmonella flies on the Space Shuttle to the ISS as NLP-Vaccine-1A, NLP-Vaccine-1B, NLP-Vaccine-2, NLP-Vaccine-5 and NLP-Vaccine-9.

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    Applications

    Space Applications

    Results from this experiment may help scientists more clearly understand measures that should be taken to reduce the risk of infection and contraction of disease while in space.

    Earth Applications

    There is currently no vaccine available for the strains of organisms being examined by the NLP-Vaccine series of investigations. This research may help develop vaccines against life threatening organisms.

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    Operations

    Operational Requirements

    This payload is conducted under ambient temperature conditions and does not require image or data download.

    Operational Protocols

    The research is contained in the Fluid Processing Apparatus (FPA). In order to activate the samples, the crew turns a hand crank that has been inserted onto the top of the GAP which contains the FPAs. Once the samples are activated for a predetermined length of time, the crew again turns the hand crank on top of the GAPs to terminate the experiment. The terminated samples are returned to Earth via the shuttle.

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    Results/More Information

    Information Pending

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    Related Web Sites
  • VA Research Project on NASA Space Shuttle
  • Media Advisory - NASA Studies Microbes on Space Shuttle Flight
  • BioServe Space Technologies
  • Astrogenetix
  • Payoffs from ISS Research

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    Publications

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    Ground Based Results Publications

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    ISS Patent Publications

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    Related Publications

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    Images

    imageNASA Image: S126E007561 - STS-126/ULF2 Mission Specialist Shane Kimbrough works with the Group Activation Pack (GAP) for a National Lab Pathfinder-Vaccine investigation on the orbiter Endeavour.


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    imageSalmonella bacteria that have been cultured in a tetrathionate-enrichment broth, and stained using the direct fluorescent-antibody technique. Image courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Image ID - 6648.


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    imageColor-enhanced scanning electron micrograph showing Salmonella typhimurium (red) invading cultured human cells. Image courtesy of Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and infectious Diseases.


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    imageSalmonella, isolated from infected macrophages, mildly color-enhanced. Image courtesy of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.


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    imageNASA Image: S134E006436 - NASA astronauts Greg Chamitoff (left), mission specialist, and Mark Kelly, mission commander, is unpacking canisters of the Group Activation Pack.


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    Information provided by the investigation team to the ISS Program Scientist's Office.
    If updates are needed to the summary please contact JSC-ISS-Program-Science-Group. For other general questions regarding space station research and technology, please feel free to call our help line at 281-244-6187 or e-mail at JSC-ISS-Payloads-Helpline.
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