PROPOSAL NUMBER: | 03-B2.02-8190 (For NASA Use Only - Chron: 034815) |
SUBTOPIC TITLE: | Biological Instrumentation |
PROPOSAL TITLE: | Murine Automated Urine Sampler (MAUS) |
SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN (Firm Name, Mail Address,
City/State/Zip, Phone)
PAYLOAD SYSTEMS INC.
247 Third Street
Cambridge ,MA 02142 - 0000
(617) 868 - 8086
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER (Name, E-mail,
Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Joe Parrish
parrish@payload.com
247 Third Street
Cambridge ,MA 02142 -0000
(617) 868 - 8086
U.S. Citizen or Legal Resident: Yes
TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
This proposal outlines planned
development for a low-power, low-mass automated urine sample collection and
preservation system for small mammals, capable of long-term operation in an
isolated environment. It brings together earlier waste management and
preservation techniques from NASA and other laboratory research in a novel
manner, enabling solid-state storage and chromatographic analysis of urine for
periods of up to 8 weeks. Urinary compounds, particularly those indicative of
bone metabolism and protein turnover -- such as calcium, sodium, potassium,
3-methylhistidine, creatinine, corticosterone, histidine, n-telopeptide,
hydroxyproline, pyridinoline, and deoxypyridinoline -- are one of the most
valuable sources of data for studying musculoskeletal changes over time in
response to altered stimuli, including loading environment. Since urine
collection is non-invasive and provides a wealth of knowledge, including bone
loss, muscle atrophy, and general stress, it is an ideal candidate for automated
collection and storage. However, in common laboratory practice, urine samples
must be collected, then frozen or analyzed within hours. The development of a
urine collection and preservation system for common experimental small mammals
will enable fundamental space biology research programs to substantially
increase data gathered in the long-term studies planned for the International
Space Station and other vehicles.
POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The MAUS
architecture developed in Phase I will be immediately applicable to
partial-gravity, hyper-gravity, and ground-based studies, with strong potential
for extension to microgravity applications. The system?s key interfaces will be
compatible not only with the Mars Gravity Biosatellite Payload Module, but with
the Advanced Animal Habitat-Centrifuge (AAH-C) in development for the ISS
Centrifuge Accommodation Module (CAM), and with static and ventilated isolator
caging systems in widespread use by ground-based laboratories. This latter
market represents a huge arena in which the MAUS technology might be applied.
POTENTIAL NON-NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
A
successful Phase I would result in a MAUS system design which could be
manufactured and ready to operate in ground laboratory facilities during Phase
II. This product would have immediate relevance to terrestrial small rodent
research applications, and since it is designed for ground or spaceflight use,
would be readily adaptable to flight experiments as well. As Phase II
progresses, the product will be refined for both ground and flight operations;
depending on the feedback we receive from our market assessment and contract
monitor, and on engineering constraints, the original MAUS design may evolve
into a single ground- and spaceflight-compatible design, or into two separate
products.