Photo credit NASA
InnovaPrep, under three Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts funded by NASA's International Space Station Advanced Exploration Systems program and Life Support System, collaborated with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to enhance the efficiency of testing potable water on the International Space Station (ISS). The project aimed to adapt InnovaPrep's patented technology, available commercially since 2012, for use in low gravity environments.
Maintaining astronaut health and safety on the ISS is crucial, particularly in managing the quality of potable water, which affects drinking, food rehydration, hygiene, and medical emergencies. NASA's ISS Medical Operations. Traditional microbial monitoring, relying on culture-based methods, risks missing viable but non-cultivable (VBNC) microbes. The current standard faces these limitations including long processing times.
To address these issues, InnovaPrep developed the ISS Smart Sample Concentrator (iSSC) as part of the SBIR project. This device is lightweight, compact, and capable of processing up to 1 liter of sample in under five minutes, with potential scalability to 5 liters in less than 15 minutes. The iSSC outperformed the traditional filtration/incubation methods and the company’s own Concentrating Pipette device during Phase II of the project. It achieved a concentration factor up to 15,000 times and demonstrated superior bacteria capture and recovery efficiency, using bacterial species from the ISS’ potable water.
This innovation offers a rapid, effective solution for microbial monitoring in the unique microgravity environment of the ISS, addressing the need for improved water safety and efficiency in sample concentration.
Read more about the development in The Microorganisms Journal, vol. 11, issue 9.
