NASA touts research in ‘space labs’ to fight cancer

Subject: Geography

Section: Mapping

Context:

NASA officials announced significant advancements in cancer research conducted in the weightless environment of space, aligning with U.S. President Joe Biden’s passionate initiative to combat cancer.
Astronaut Frank Rubio undertook this research on the International Space Station (ISS), leveraging the unique conditions of space to accelerate and refine the study of cellular behaviours related to cancer.

Why ‘Space’ is a more suitable environment for cancer research?

In space, cells age more rapidly and do not clump together due to the absence of gravity, allowing for a purer structural analysis.
This environment has proven advantageous for pharmaceutical research, exemplified by Merck’s experiments with Keytruda, an anti-cancer drug.
The focus was on crystallization processes that could lead to more effective drug delivery methods.
Space-based experiments demonstrated that smaller, more uniform crystals formed more efficiently in space, potentially enabling the drug to be administered via injection rather than through extensive chemotherapy sessions.
This research paves the way for developing drugs that can be stored at room temperature and simplifies treatment protocols.

‘Cancer Moonshot’ initiative:

The history of cancer research in space spans over 40 years but has seen revolutionary progress recently.
The efforts contribute to President Biden’s “Cancer Moonshot” initiative, which aims to significantly reduce cancer death rates over the next 25 years.
- Aim: Bringing down cancer death rates by 50 per cent by the year 2047
This initiative not only underscores the potential of space research in medical science but also demonstrates a commitment to leveraging every possible avenue in the fight against cancer.

Source: TH