Research Opportunity: Help Guide Priorities for Commercial Spaceflight Biospecimens
The NASA-funded Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH) is seeking input from the scientific community on how to maximize the research value of its growing collection of commercial spaceflight biospecimens.
The formal request for information (RFI), Optimizing the Scientific Impact of the EXPAND Commercial Spaceflight Biosample Collection, invites researchers to identify the molecular analyses and datasets that would provide the greatest scientific benefit if generated from biological samples collected through TRISH’s EXPAND (Enhancing eXploration Platforms and ANalog Definition) program.
This opportunity aims to ensure that limited and irreplaceable biospecimens are used strategically to answer critical questions about human adaptation to spaceflight. Unlike many research resources that can be replenished, biospecimens are inherently finite. Generating new molecular data from a sample permanently consumes part of that resource, making it especially important that future analyses align with the needs and priorities of the broader scientific community.
TRISH is asking researchers to help identify the molecular data and assays that would provide the greatest scientific value if generated from EXPAND biospecimens.
The EXPAND program, created in 2021, enables research through partnerships with commercial spaceflight providers and their volunteering participants. The program collects health and performance data across all phases of flight and maintains a centralized repository of data and biospecimens to support future scientific investigations.
If you have a research idea that addresses these objectives, follow the steps below to submit a response:
- Learn about TRISH and EXPAND.
- Read the RFI.
- Submit a response through the TRISH Grant Research Integrated Dashboard (GRID). Responses must be submitted for review by 11:59 p.m. ET on September 8, 2026. Responders must register in the system for award management (SAM) database.
Who can respond? Responses may be submitted by U.S. and non-U.S. individuals and entities.
Resources: Learn about TRISH and EXPAND. Other background materials can be found on the request’s application portal.
Deadline: Submit responses by 11:59 p.m. ET on Sept. 8, 2026.
Background on TRISH: TRISH is a virtual institute funded by NASA’s Human Research Program to help solve challenges of human deep space exploration. TRISH pursues and funds research to deliver scientific and technological solutions that advance space health and help humans thrive wherever they explore, in space or on Earth. Learn more about TRISH.
Questions? Follow the link here for a form and select “scientific solicitation” to submit questions.
