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Urdu“The CDI and Axiom Space partnership is a critical deal which could benefit virtually all of us back on Earth,” said Robert C. Garrett, FACHE, the chief executive officer of Hackensack Meridian Health. “The sky isn’t the limit when it comes to the expertise of our scientists.”
“Space travel in microgravity places stress on the body,” said David Perlin, Ph.D., chief scientific officer and executive vice president of the CDI. “By learning about factors that keep space travel safe, we can apply the knowledge to improve the terrestrial health of humans with a wide variety of conditions and diseases.”
Since the mid-20th century, a growing literature has found that humans and other Earth-evolved organisms age and respond to stimuli differently when removed from the natural atmosphere of the Earth and its gravitational pull. Exploring the science underlying these changes could lead to insights for humans in space in future and for healthcare here on Earth.
“By exploring partnerships with outstanding scientific institutes such as CDI, we are able to maximize the impact of the scientific research we enable across our portfolio of initiatives through Axiom Space missions to the International Space Station (ISS) today and through future missions to Axiom Station,” said Christian Maender, Executive Vice President for In-Space Solutions at Axiom Space. “We are building opportunity in space to better life on Earth.”
Axiom Space reached a critical milestone for its objective last year, completing the first all-private astronaut mission to the ISS. On April 25, 2022, the Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) crew and the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft safely splashed down off the coast of Florida. The Ax-1 crew’s arrival back to Earth officially concluded the first mission of its kind, thereby successfully demonstrating Axiom Space’s ability to integrate with the ISS and conduct meaningful research outside the planet’s atmosphere.
“The CDI has continually pushed the envelope for our health network, and beyond,” said Ihor Sawczuk, M.D., FACS, Hackensack Meridian Health’s president of Academics, Research and Innovation, and also associate dean of Clinical Integration and professor and chair emeritus of Urology at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine. “Their mission has been global for quite some time – but now they are pushing even beyond that.”
ABOUT AXIOM SPACE
Axiom Space is guided by the vision of a thriving home in space that benefits every human, everywhere. The leading provider of human spaceflight services and developer of human-rated space infrastructure, Axiom Space operates end-to-end missions to the International Space Station today while developing its successor – the world’s first commercial space station in low-Earth orbit that will sustain human growth off the planet and bring untold benefits back home.
ABOUT THE CENTER FOR DISCOVERY AND INNOVATION
The Center for Discovery and Innovation, a member of Hackensack Meridian Health, translates current innovations in science to improve clinical outcomes for patients. More than 21 laboratories, 155 professional researchers and physician-scientists at the CDI have set their sights on cancer, infectious diseases, autoimmune disorders, and other acute and chronic diseases. Clinical need drives the scientific insights, and their application, for these researchers, as shown in the real-time response to the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in new diagnostics, therapies, and surveillance abilities. The CDI leverages a new wave of scientific advances involving genetics, cell engineering of the human immune system, and imaging to better diagnose, treat and prevent disease through personalized medicine approaches. For additional information, please visit www.hmh-cdi.org.
ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH
Hackensack Meridian Health is a leading not-for-profit health care organization that is the largest, most comprehensive and truly integrated health care network in New Jersey, offering a complete range of medical services, innovative research and life-enhancing care. The network has 18 hospitals and more than 500 patient care locations, which include ambulatory care centers, surgery centers, home health services, long-term care and assisted living communities, ambulance services, lifesaving air medical transportation, rehabilitation centers, urgent care centers, physician practice locations, and a fitness and wellness center. With more than 35,000 team members and 7,000 physicians, Hackensack Meridian Health is a distinguished leader in health care philanthropy and committed to the health and well-being of communities throughout New Jersey.
The network’s notable distinctions include having more U.S. News-ranked hospitals than any other health system in New Jersey, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report, 2022-23. Hackensack University Medical Center is nationally-ranked by U.S. News & World Report in four specialties, more than any other hospital in New Jersey. Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital at Hackensack University Medical Center, and K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, are ranked #1 in the state and top 20 in the Mid-Atlantic Region by U.S. News & World Report’s 2022-23 Best Children’s Hospital Report. Additionally, their combined nephrology program ranks in the top 50 in the United States. To learn more, visit www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org.
ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH RESEARCH INSTITUTE (HMHRI):
HMHRI leads and organizes a connected ecosystem bringing together clinicians, scientists, and educators to respond to the health problems of our time, in real-time. HMHRI is dedicated to accelerating discovery, innovation, and translation of scientific breakthroughs that address unmet clinical needs.
