$9.8 million grant to research cancer risks from space radiation

NASA awarded a research grant worth more than $9.8 million over five-years to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

The central focus of the study entitled, "Lung Cancer Pathogenesis and HZE Particle Exposure," will be to identify solid tumor cancer risks from space radiation. Data will be collected from animal models and tissues at the cellular and molecular level, with special emphasis on extrapolating the collected knowledge to humans.

Radiation exposures required to conduct the research will use ground-based irradiation facilities at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, N.Y.

The grant adds another NASA Specialized Center of Research (NSCOR) to the space radiation program. NSCOR is designed to advance knowledge in the biological and biomedical sciences and technology arenas. The ultimate application of this knowledge is to enable human space flight and long-term planetary missions. It expands the pool of research scientists and engineers trained to meet the challenges, as we prepare for future human space exploration missions.

NSCOR differs from an individual grant award by incorporating a number of complementary research projects. The solicitation for proposals on "Estimation of Solid Tumor Cancer Risks" drew 11 proposals. Each was peer-reviewed by scientific and technical experts from academia, government and industry.