NASA’s Space Biology Program has awarded $2.5M in funding over 5 years to establish a new Washington state space life sciences consortium led by the University of Washington that will partner with researchers at Washington State University (WSU) and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). The consortium titled “Biology in Space: Establishing Networks for DUrable & REsilient Systems (BioS-ENDURES)” aims to cooperatively advance life sciences research that supports human health in space. The BioS-ENDURES team submitted a proposal this summer to NASA’s highly competitive ROSES E.11 Consortium in Biological Sciences initiative. The call was open to states without established NASA facilities, which excluded states like Texas, Florida, and California. Initially, NASA indicated it would fund only one consortium under this initiative. However, NASA awarded funding for two consortia: BioS-ENDURES and a separate consortium based in Missouri that will focus on methods for converting astronaut waste into biomaterials for in-space biomanufacturing.

Paul Wilson, a PNNL biomedical scientist, expressed excitement about the opportunity, noting, “Our team at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is excited to participate in the Washington state BioS-ENDURES consortium with our UW and WSU partners. The life sciences capabilities we have available at PNNL will maximize the impact of these studies and help NASA reach its goals in enabling and ensuring a long-term sustainable presence in low Earth orbit, on the Moon and Mars, and eventually beyond.”

Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) played a key role in securing additional federal funding to support NASA’s research initiatives, and recently highlighted BioS-ENDURES in an official press release. She emphasized her broad commitment to expand Washington state’s space research capabilities. The BioS-ENDURES consortium’s work represents a significant step forward in these efforts, underscoring the Pacific Northwest’s growing role in pioneering aerospace and space sciences research. By addressing critical biological and technological challenges of space exploration, the consortium aims to yield insights that could enhance human health both in space and here on Earth.