Fighting cancer with microgravity: Lab-grown tumors

Fighting cancer with microgravity: Lab-grown tumors

Space Against Cancer: How Floating Helps Find New Cures!

It might seem strange, but the same microgravity environment that poses risks to astronauts can also be a powerful tool in the fight against cancer here on Earth! Scientists are using the International Space Station (ISS) as a unique laboratory to grow cancer cells in ways that help them test new medicines and understand how to beat the disease.

Beyond Flat Dishes: Growing Realistic Tumors

On Earth, when cancer cells are grown in flat petri dishes, they don't act quite like real tumors inside the human body. Real tumors are complex, three-dimensional structures with different types of cells interacting. In microgravity, without the pull of gravity, cells naturally clump together and form more realistic 3D structures called "organoids" or "tumor spheroids." These lab-grown "mini-tumors" are much better models for studying cancer because they behave more like actual tumors in a patient.

Testing Drugs: Finding the Right Medicine

This ability to grow realistic 3D tumor models in space is a huge advantage for "drug testing." When scientists develop new cancer medicines, they need to test them on cells to see if they work. By using these space-grown 3D organoids, researchers can get a much better idea of how a new drug will affect a real tumor. A drug that might not seem very effective on flat 2D cells on Earth might work much better on the more realistic 3D models from space, or vice-versa. This helps scientists find the most promising treatments faster and more efficiently.

Space to Earth: Accelerating Cancer Research

So, while space travel can present challenges for astronaut health, the unique environment of microgravity offers incredible opportunities for medical breakthroughs. By using the ISS as a platform to grow and study realistic cancer models, scientists are gaining new insights into how tumors develop and respond to treatments. This research helps to accelerate the discovery of new and more effective cancer therapies, ultimately bringing the benefits of space exploration back down to Earth to improve human health.

Key References:

• Plopper, G. E., & S. R. (2018). Cell Biology and Bioregenerative Life Support. In Human Research Program Human Health and Performance Risks of Space Exploration Missions: Evidence Book (NASA SP-2018-7711). (Covers microgravity's advantages for tissue culture and biomedical research).

• Freed, L. E., & G. V. (2009). Tissue engineering in space. Journal of Applied Physiology, 106(6), 1956-1962. (Explains how microgravity facilitates 3D tissue growth for various applications, including disease modeling).

• Nickerson, C. A., & B. H. (2011). Microgravity as a Novel Regulator of Bacterial Virulence and Host-Pathogen Interactions. Astrobiology, 11(1), 1-11. (While focused on bacteria, the principles of microgravity's effect on 3D growth are similar for other cells).

• ISS National Lab (formerly CASIS): Provides information on research projects conducted on the ISS, including many biomedical and cancer-related studies utilizing microgravity.