CLEVELAND — Imagine technology built for space exploration—advanced, groundbreaking, it's the product of years of research. Now, what if we told you that the same technology is reshaping the future of heart care right here on Earth? NASA is a part of an innovation that’s transforming medical tools, all thanks to technology originally designed for space.
Fifty-eight-year-old Kim Vanderpool deals with congestive heart failure, which has her constantly in and out of the hospital.
“I’m a very obese lady. I’ve been big all my life. As I’ve gotten older, my heart issues have worsened, and I’ve had to go on a lot of medications,” said Vanderpool.
But something that helped her is technology that started at NASA.
Twenty years ago, NASA Senior Microwave Research Engineer Rainee Simmons and Deputy Chief of Communications and Intelligent Systems Division Felix Miranda were watching astronauts' exercises at the International Space Station (ISS).
The scientists asked how doctors could monitor the astronauts' health without all the extra wires.
“All of these wires and sensors add [a] significant amount of mass [and] consumes a lot of power and interference,” Simmons said.
“We wanted to make sure that there was a portable system that you can allow for the wireless sensing and monitoring of the health of astronauts in long term space flight missions,” said Miranda.
After much research and testing, they came up with a portable wireless sensing system that involved a sensor and a device to track the data.
“A handheld device. You can use that to integrate your sensor anytime of the day, anywhere, and then it can transmit the data to the physician,” said Simmons.
In 2003, they patented both items. Then, in 2006, they were approached by Dr. Anthony Nunez, a heart surgeon, and Harry Rowland, a mechanical engineer, who wanted to take the technology further.
“We said to them, 'Hey, you know, we found your technology, we found your patent online, and we would like to license this patent,'” said Nunez.
The pair later created a digital health medical technology company called Endotronix in 2007. Nunez took that NASA technology and turned it into a heart health monitoring system, now known as the Cordella Pulmonary Artery (PA) Sensor System, which was FDA-approved in June 2024.
“It is a heart monitor, but more importantly, it is a pulmonary artery pressure monitoring device, which indirectly gives you a sense of what's going on with the heart,” said Nunez.
Since then, it has been used on more than 500 patients, and doctors like Kim Vanderpool's cardiologist can now check her vitals remotely.
“We know exactly what [happens] when I suggest my patient, 'Hey, take this medicine or don't take this medicine.' I know what's happening with her heart pressures. I know the trajectory Kim is on,” said Sandip Zalawadiya, an associate professor of medicine/heart failure cardiologist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center who is Kim’s doctor.
“I love that I don't have to go to the hospital all the time,” said Kim.
For Kim, the best part is that it all started with the potential for space.
“To know that, you know, their technology...something that they use for those men and women is being used for me—I think it's pretty cool,” said Kim
Now, 25 years later, Simmons and Miranda take pride in their work, reminding the world that while their mission is to support NASA, they are also committed to serving the public.
“When you enter the center, the thing that you read is 'For the benefit of all,' right, so this is a good example of using NASA technology to impact humanity as a whole,” said Miranda.
Rainee and Felix hope that the technology will be used on the next few NASA missions, but first, it has to go through the Human Research Program.
Even though it’s approved here on Earth, that doesn’t mean it meets the qualifications to head up to space.
