Announcement of Opportunity

Canadian participation in the ESA/CNES/NASA International Long-term Bed Rest Study

May 2003

The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and CIHR's Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis (IMHA) are pleased to announce opportunities for Canadian researchers to participate in the International Long-term Bed Rest Study being organized by the European Space Agency (ESA), the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES) in co-operation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Physiological changes that occur during long-term bed rest are similar to those seen during space flight and also those observed as a result of certain diseases and ageing. This specific study is focussed on bone and muscle physiology and cardiovascular physiology.

The Opportunity

Female volunteers (about 25) will participate in a 60-90 day long-term head down bed rest study. A male control group consisting of about 7 subjects may be added. The main objectives of the study are to test the efficacy of exercise ad drug therapy in mitigating loss of bone and muscle mass and in conserving muscle strength and aerobic capacity. Details of the ESA research announcement on the planned study are available at : www.spaceflight.esa.int/bedrest

The corresponding NASA research announcement can be accessed at:
http://research.hq.nasa.gov/code_u/nra/current/NRA-03-OBPR-05/index.html

Eligibility

This announcement is open to researchers affiliated with Canadian universities. Scientists are encouraged to participate with national and international research teams to prepare proposals.

Proposals must focus on muscle-bone physiology or cardiovascular physiology and relate to health aspects of relevance on Earth or/and in space.

In order to be considered for the competition, proposals from Canadians or including Canadians as part of the research team must be accompanied by a letter signed by the appropriate representative of CSA and/or IMHA. These letters of support do not guarantee funding but are conditional upon funding availability and selection of the proposal. Applications from Canadians as principal investigators or co-investigators will not be accepted without a letter of support issued by either the CSA or IMHA.

How to apply

The application format and protocol is available at: www.spaceflight.esa.int/bedrest

The schedule is as follows:

Letters of Support

Letters of intent for this competition must be submitted to both CSA and ESA by June 11, 2003. The letters of intent will follow the format described in : www.spaceflight.esa.int/bedrest and must be submitted to ESA at : bedrest@esa.int and also to the CSA at: lifesciences@space.gc.ca

Letters of support from CSA and IMHA will be issued to investigators whose research falls within one of the two areas of interest: muscle and bone physiology or cardiovascular physiology and must address issue of relevance to human health on Earth or in space or ideally both. IMHA will only support applications relevant to muscle and bone physiology. Researchers will be informed by June 25, 2003 whether a letter of support is forthcoming. ESA will not consider proposals from Canadians or with Canadian members on the research team if the letter of support is not included.

Funding

Funding up to $100,000 ($CAN) will be available to support all costs associated with the proposal including travel, equipment and personnel. If a Canadian researcher is part of an international team, then funding will be provided to support the research of the Canadian investigator only. The number of awards will depend on the number of successful proposals and funding availability. Contracts to investigators will be issued by CSA, IMHA or in some instances both.

Contacts

Helene Plante
Assistant Director, IMHA
CIHR / IRSC
Telephone: (613) 954-3469
Fax: (613) 954-1800
Email: hplante@cihr.ca

Nicole Buckley, Ph.D.
Program Scientist, Space Life Sciences
Canadian Space Agency
Telephone: (613) 990-0801
Fax: (613) 952-0970
Email: nicole.buckley@space.gc.ca