Dr. Bernard A. Harris Jr. - 'Advancing Medical Technology from Space'

NASA is spotlighting an important anniversary: the space agency celebrates five decades of progress since opening its doors in October 1958.

For many reasons, it is imperative that this country maintain a strong and vibrant space program for the next 50 years. While reaching out to the Moon, Mars and beyond, our leadership in space also assures that a significant spillover of down-to-Earth medical and health payback benefits us all.

Few may realize that a truly "bright light" for medical research can already be viewed in Earth orbit - the International Space Station (ISS). The launch of the first ISS element took place some 10 years ago. Today, the ISS is an orbiting facility with unparalleled microgravity research capability, able to do investigative tasks that cannot be done on Earth.

It is clear that microgravity-induced alterations represent an opportunity to develop new and improved therapeutics, including vaccines, as well as biological and pharmaceutical agents. Research conducted in the microgravity of space is seen as a promising window into drug treatments for such crippling afflictions as diabetes, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, pancreatic cancer, cystic fibrosis and hemophilia.

There's also an array of research duties that are being pursued on the ISS, using it to provide novel insight into human health benefits. Those investigations offer the promise of developing new drugs and vaccines for treatment and prevention of infection and illnesses here on Earth.

Indeed, space experiments have already provided new perspectives into cancer, aging, and infectious diseases. Ovarian cancer cells have been studied onboard the ISS to track growth patterns and help develop a more targeted treatment.

NASA and Congress realize these benefits and are now partnered to make use of the United States segment of the ISS as a national laboratory. Research done onboard this orbiting outpost will open new paths for the exploration and economic development of space.

Already in place is a memorandum of understanding between NASA and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) - the first agreement between the space agency and another U.S. federal agency for use of the station as a national lab.

NIH is focused on using the space station to probe basic biological and behavioral mechanisms in the absence of gravity. Other research agendas include delving into health care delivery and health monitoring technologies.

This robust commitment assures that our country will continue its decades-long bond between our nation's space program and medical research…one that has yielded life-saving benefits such as the MicroMed DeBakey Ventricular Assist Device, automatic insulin pump, precision dialysis pumps and filters and many others being used on a daily basis in our nation's medical facilities.

While the benefits of space exploration extend beyond the medical arena, the breakthroughs in medicine and healthcare cannot go unnoticed or undervalued. Imagine what the next 50 years of innovation and pioneering discovery can bring, particularly onboard the ISS.

I implore our lawmakers and the next administration to strongly support our nation's space exploration program and keep NASA funded. In consideration of recent events in Russia, Congress must diligently and expediently work to resolve issues associated with securing regular access to the ISS. Doing so not only means leveraging a proud legacy of research already gained - it guarantees that ground-breaking biotechnology, biomedical innovations and discoveries can be realized globally for the common good.