United States - TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER OPPORTUNITY: Lighting System to Improve Circadian Rhythm Control (KSC-TOPS-52)

Description

Added: Oct 03, 2019 2:09 pm

NASA's Technology Transfer Program solicits inquiries from companies interested in obtaining license rights to commercialize, manufacture and market the following technology.  License rights may be issued on an exclusive or nonexclusive basis and may include specific fields of use.  NASA provides no funding in conjunction with these potential licenses.

THE TECHNOLOGY: 

The Lighting System to Improve Circadian Rhythm Control was designed and built to help regulate the sleep cycles of astronauts working on the International Space Station (ISS) and during long-duration spaceflight.  In space, the lack of a true diurnal cycle of sunlight, encompassing the same range of color temperatures and intensities of sunlight experienced on Earth, is one of the potential causes of sleep disorders among the crew aboard ISS.  The production of melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate sleep cycles, can be inhibited by light, especially cool white light (with its large blue light component).  To help regulate sleep cycles and improve the quality of sleep for the crew, control of the melatonin production cycle through the use of light is key.  On Earth, this technology can be used to help treat many sleep disorders, including jet lag, shift work sleep disorder, delayed sleep phase syndrome, advance sleep phase syndrome, and non-24-hour sleep/wake disorder (frequently affects those who are totally blind since the circadian clock is set by the light-dark cycle over a 24-hour period).

To express interest in this opportunity, please submit a license application through NASA's Automated Technology Licensing Application System (ATLAS) by visiting https://technology.nasa.gov/patent/KSC-TOPS-52

If you have any questions, please contact Kurt Kessel, Technology Transfer Specialist, Kennedy Space Center at kurt.r.kessel@nasa.gov with the title of this Technology Transfer Opportunity as listed in this FBO notice and your preferred contact information.  For more information about licensing other NASA-developed technologies, please visit the NASA Technology Transfer Portal at https://technology.nasa.gov/

These responses are provided to members of NASA's Technology Transfer Program for the purpose of promoting public awareness of NASA-developed technology products, and conducting preliminary market research to determine public interest in and potential for future licensing opportunities.  No follow-on procurement is expected to result from responses to this Notice.

Opportunity closing date

02 October 2020

Value of contract

to be confirmed