StemRad


StemRad is an Israeli-American start-up company that develops and manufactures personal protective equipment against ionizing radiation. Its first product was the 360 Gamma, a device that protects the user's pelvic bone marrow from gamma radiation. Its second product, AstroRad, is currently being tested at the International Space Station.

History

StemRad was founded in December 2011 by Oren Milstein and Daniel Levitt. They were inspired to create the company by the Chernobyl disaster where many of the firemen and engineers, who were first on the scene, died from high doses of gamma radiation in an illness known as Acute Radiation Syndrome, also known as radiation sickness. This idea was fueled by a sense of urgency due to the growing nuclear threat on the state of Israel. Following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in March 2011, the two partnered with Roger Kornberg, Aaron Ciechanover and Michael Levitt.

Products

360 Gamma

The 360 Gamma is a belt designed to protect the pelvic area against gamma radiation. It is meant to be worn by first responders, that would be exposed to radiation in the event of a nuclear emergency. It does not attempt to protect the whole body of the wearer, but rather selectively protects the bone marrow-rich pelvic region. It is offered as a solution for acute radiation syndrome, a major component of which is bone marrow failure.

AstroRad

AstroRad is personal protective equipment for astronauts to be worn beyond low Earth orbit which was co-developed by StemRad and Lockheed Martin. AstroRad protects bone marrow to prevent acute radiation sickness but is further expanded to also protect the lungs, stomach, colon, breast and ovaries – organs that are particularly sensitive to the development of cancer due to chronic exposure to radiation. In April 2018 it was announced that the Israeli Space Agency signed an agreement with NASA and the German Aerospace Center to test AstroRad aboard an uncrewed flight of NASA's Orion, on a mission named Artemis 1.
As a test before its planned use in deep space, an AstroRad vest launched to the International Space Station in low Earth orbit on November 2nd, 2019 aboard Cygnus NG-12. The functional shielding material is made of high-density polyethylene or HDPE.