Can space oncology revolutionise cancer treatment?, Pg2

Key Highlights:

• Space oncology is an emerging field investigating how microgravity and cosmic radiation impact cancer progression and treatment.
• It utilizes space as a natural laboratory to accelerate tumor modeling and drug discovery, leading to technological spin-offs like 3D cell-culture systems.
• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a subcutaneous form of the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab, developed through NASA's protein crystal growth research on the International Space Station (ISS).
• Rebecsinib became the first space-tested cancer drug to enter clinical trials, receiving FDA 'Investigational New Drug' status after ISS-linked testing.
• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is a significant global player, contributing to the increasing feasibility of space oncology and pharmaceutical manufacturing.

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Detailed Insights:

• Microgravity alters cellular processes like cytoskeletal reorganization, focal-adhesion signaling, and extracellular-matrix interactions, which are relevant to tumor spread.
• It aids drug discovery by changing cell cytoskeleton and spheroid formation, potentially reducing the need for animal testing.
• Microgravity allows for more uniform protein crystals and lower-viscosity biologics, leading to more stable drug formulations.
• Breast cancer cells in microgravity tend to exhibit a less malignant phenotype, with reduced ability to crawl, migrate, and metastasize.
• Conversely, gastrointestinal and colorectal cancer cells can become more aggressive in microgravity, but also more sensitive to chemotherapy drugs like doxorubicin.
• Regulatory bodies like the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), and Regulatory Innovation Office in the UK are streamlining pathways for space-based pharmacology.
• This regulatory support enables startups to develop highly stable, concentrated cancer therapies for self-injection, reducing the need for traditional factory setups.
• The microgravity pharmaceutical manufacturing market, valued at $1.5 billion in 2025, is projected to reach $9.8 billion by 2034, driven by commercial space stations and CubeSats.

Scientific/Technical Concepts Involved:

• Space Oncology: A field studying the effects of microgravity and cosmic radiation on cancer biology and treatment.
• Microgravity: A state of near-weightlessness, significantly altering cellular behavior and drug formulation processes.
• Nanoparticles: Tiny drug delivery systems that can carry chemotherapy directly into tumors and release it slowly.