NATIONAL LABORATORY PATHFINDER-VACCINE (NLP-VACCINE), THREE INVESTIGATIONS
Research Area: Vaccine Development
Expedition(s): 16- 28
Principal Investigator(s): ● Timothy G. Hammond, MBBS, Durham Veterans Affairs Medical
Center, Durham, North Carolina
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
NLP-VACCINE-MRSA
National Laboratory Pathfinder - Vaccine - Methicillin-
resistant Staphylococcus aureus (NLP-Vaccine-MRSA)
investigation uses microgravity to examine, Methicillin-
resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a pathogenic (disease-
causing) organism resistant to most common
antibiotics, to develop a potential vaccine for the
prevention of infection on Earth and in microgravity.
NLP-VACCINE-
SALMONELLA
National
Laboratory
Pathfinder -
Vaccine -
Salmonella (NLP-
Vaccine-
Salmonella)
investigation
uses
microgravity to
examine
Salmonella, a
pathogenic (disease-causing) organism, to develop a
potential vaccine for the prevention of infection on
Earth and in microgravity.
NLP-VACCINE-SURVEY
National Laboratory Pathfinder - Vaccine - Survey (NLP-Vaccine-Survey) investigation uses
microgravity to examine several pathogenic (disease causing) microorganisms to assist in the
development of potential vaccines for the prevention of infections on Earth and in microgravity.
EARTH BENEFITS
There is currently no vaccine available for the strains of organisms being examined by the NLP-
Vaccine series of investigations. This research may help develop vaccines against these life
threatening organisms.
Colorized scanning electron micrograph
depicts numerous clumps of methicillin-
resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria.
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention image.Salmonella bacteria that have been
cultured in a tetrathionate-enrichment
broth, and stained using the direct
fluorescent-antibody technique. Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention
image.
Photomicrograph of the fungus Candida
albicans.Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention image.