Summary of the virtual Space Radiation “2022 Biospecimen and Tissue Sharing Summit.”

The Space Radiation Element (SRE) of the Human Research Program (HRP) aims to establish a robust biospecimen and tissue sharing collection (BTSC) to improve sample collection, tracking, access, distribution, and usability to maximize scientific return with intention. Leveraging biospecimens and tissues from prior experiments helps HRP achieve its scientific goals to characterize and mitigate the human health impacts of spaceflight by maximizing resources. The project intends to expand on the National Aeronautics and Space Agency’s (NASA) current resources and institutional knowledge to provide ongoing modernization to improve the usability and access to the current biospecimen archive.

SRE organized and held a three-day virtual workshop September 13-15, 2022, to engage with the research community with the following goals:
- Share information about:
- Space Radiation’s current Biospecimen and Tissue Sharing Project;
- Software implementation to track biospecimens;
- NASA’s current tissue sharing capabilities and projects; and
- Collect community feedback on how to develop, streamline, and optimize accessible and usable processes.

The first two days featured speakers internal and external to NASA who presented on current resources, best practices, lessons learned, and researcher perspectives. On the third day, a set of key questions were presented, and participants were invited to discuss and provide input.