Comprehensive Organ System Modeling in Outer Space (COSMOS)
Comprehensive Organ System Modeling in Outer Space (COSMOS) supports researchers studying human tissue aging in low Earth orbit to test whether space-based models could speed regenerative therapy development.
This grant was recently updated
COSMOS is no longer accepting new submissions and has moved to proposal review, replacing the listed October 7, 2026, 2:00 p.m. ET deadline. Awards will be announced after negotiations are complete.
Funder: Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health
Due Dates: Submissions under review (no new submissions accepted)
Funding Amounts: Award amounts and scope negotiated after selection; ARPA-H typically uses milestone-based payments
Summary: COSMOS investigates whether human tissues age faster in low Earth orbit to enable faster, less costly regenerative therapy development.
Description
Comprehensive Organ System Modeling in Outer Space (COSMOS) is an Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) initiative investigating whether microgravity accelerates human tissue aging. It uses microphysiological systems, also called organs-on-chips, and organoids to compare the Tissue Aging Rate in Space (TARIS) with the Tissue Aging Rate on Earth (TAROE). The work focuses on brain, heart, uterine, and kidney tissues across representative adult age groups.
COSMOS aims to definitively prove or disprove accelerated aging in low Earth orbit (LEO). If acceleration is demonstrated, the initiative seeks to create a first-in-class platform for fully autonomous, high-throughput drug screening in LEO. Public and private entities could use these models to accelerate regenerative therapy development, addressing the limitations of current preclinical models of human aging.
