The National Research Council of Canada has been testing the MicroPrep system, a cartridge designed to speed up blood testing in areas without specialized labs, since 2014. The CSA’s request for proposal seeks a company that can design and manufacture a model ready for launch to the International Space Station. (The Logic)

Talking point: In its five years of developing MicroPrep, the CSA hasn’t created a system suitable for launch in space—the new funding is designed to attract a company that can advance the technology to that critical point. The device would dramatically reduce the time needed to test blood samples in space, which require an hour of coagulation and centrifugation with current methods. In early February, The Logic reported on a CSA committee that said Canada had an opportunity to lead the world on astronaut healthcare, and discoveries in this area could have benefits back on Earth. Canada’s new space strategy unveiled earlier this month includes improving remote health care with experiments in space.