Sending cancer cells into space to understand an incurable tumor in children’s brains

A scientific team from the Institute of Cancer Research seeks to send samples of metastatic pontine internal glioma to the International Space Station (ISS) to see how it spreads in conditions of microgravity.

The launch is expected to take place in 2025, and the experiments will be conducted by astronauts aboard the space station, with samples expected to be returned to Earth about six months later.
The scientists said their study, dubbed D (MG) 2, could pave the way for understanding more about the disease that led to the death of Karen Armstrong, daughter of the late US astronaut Neil Armstrong.

“Unfortunately, the survival rates for patients with DIPG have not changed…however, the years have made The past 15 years have revolutionized our understanding of the biological complexity of these tumors, with exciting potential new therapies finally entering clinical trials.Experiments like D(MG)2 aboard the International Space Station will improve our understanding of how cancer cells interact with each other within three-dimensional structures, and hopefully It leads to new ideas for disrupting tumor growth that enable us to move forward in the laboratory.”

Diffuse pontine internal glioma is an aggressive brain tumor that arises in the pons (middle) of the brainstem. It is incurable and most commonly seen in children.

Because of the poor prognosis, most children die within 18 months of diagnosis.
Scientists want to conduct the experiments in microgravity because they believe the conditions would allow cultured 3D samples to grow to sizes much larger than those found on Earth.

The team said this would allow for much larger scale models to study how cancer cells interact, as this interaction is thought to drive growth.

While microgravity can be recreated on Earth, Professor Jones said the conditions “could induce some mechanical stress on the cells which could change the way they behave, which is what we want to avoid”.