Medical Device Link.

Originally Published EMDM May/June 2001

While this issue of EMDM went to press, the European Space Agency sent its first astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS), a giant orbiting research centre built by Canada, Europe, Japan, Russia, and the United States. Italian physicist Umberto Guidoni and his fellow crew members set out to furnish the station with a giant robotic arm called Canadarm2. The 18-m arm has no fixed end and can travel like an inchworm, allowing it to reach parts of the station that would normally be inaccessible. Although it cannot support its own weight on Earth, in space it is a highly sensitive mechanical tool that can, in effect, perform space-station surgery.

Space programmes are famous for such acrobatic feats of engineering. But in the end, mechanical challenges are not the limiting factor in space exploration; people are. Even under the worst of circumstances, space stations exhibit more staying power than any of their inhabitants. Why? Studies have shown that astronauts must abandon their posts after three months to avoid lasting damage to their health. The symptoms of life in microgravity seem to mirror those of the ageing process on Earth, including bone loss, muscle atrophy, and cardiovascular problems. Our exploration of space, which began as a pure engineering challenge, has matured into a medical conundrum. And space travel's pipe dream—to attain eternal youth by exceeding the speed of light—has been transformed into an accelerated-life-cycle experiment in gerontology. What can be done to extend the length of a safe stay in space?

Down-to-earth readers may wonder why my head is in the clouds. After all, how is space exploration relevant to the medical device industry? My first answer is that medical research will be a major focus of scientific investigation aboard the station. An article in the Financial Times on 16 March reported that with advanced laboratories and increased staff, scientists hope to develop new therapies that will counteract the medical problems experienced by astronauts. And the results of such work may affect our approach to solving medical problems on Earth.

Manufacturers will recall that space programmes have a strong record of technology transfer. In January, the US space agency NASA announced that light-emitting diodes (LEDs) designed for use in research on plant growth in space had been put to use by doctors at the Medical College of Wisconsin (Milwaukee, WI, USA). Medical researchers discovered that repeated application of light from the LEDs speeds recovery from diabetic skin ulcers, serious burns, and severe oral sores caused by chemotherapy and radiation. A project to investigate the phenomenon has been approved by US FDA and is being funded by NASA's Small Business Innovation Research programme.

A similar spinoff occurred in 1998, when the design of actuators for rocket engine control systems inspired the creation of a selectively lockable knee brace. NASA engineers worked with Horton Orthotics Corp. (Little Rock, AR, USA) to develop a novel brace that streamlines rehabilitation by freeing knee movement. These and other medical applications of space technology are detailed on the Web site of NASA's Marshall Flight Space Center at http://nasasolutions.com/at_home/athospital.htm.

The European Space Agency also boasts an impressive list of technologies transferred to the medical sector. Success stories include photon-counting software used to enhance the resolution of detectors in biomedical research, as well as remote-sensing and imaging software suitable for blood flow monitoring. For more information, go to http://www.esa.int/technology/success_health.html.

Current areas of medical research on the space station itself include protein crystallization and the cultivation of human tissues. Both processes are expected to benefit from microgravity environments, which mimic the in vivo development of proteins and tissues in states of suspension. Space, it turns out, may be more than just an empty vacuum, or cosmic dump. It could also be a good place for cutting-edge medical research.

This may sound like a fantasy worthy of Arthur C. Clarke. But as is often the case these days, truth is stranger than science fiction: NASA is seeking commercial partners to expand its roster of medical projects on the ISS. Interested companies should make their move soon. After all, what better time to develop a medical device on a space station than the year 2001?