[Perspectives] Spaceflight as a cancer research catalyst
Summary
As we venture further into space and increasingly use low Earth orbit for in-space manufacturing, the potential for the development of innovative technologies appears to be infinite. For these discoveries, led by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), international space agencies, and commercial companies, the International Space Station (ISS) provides a transformative research platform 250 miles…
As we venture further into space and increasingly use low Earth orbit for in-space manufacturing, the potential for the development of innovative technologies appears to be infinite. For these discoveries, led by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), international space agencies, and commercial companies, the International Space Station (ISS) provides a transformative research platform 250 miles above us in low Earth orbit. Although it might not be immediately obvious how research done hundreds of miles above our planet could be used to improve life terrestrially, studies in low Earth orbit have revealed accelerated stem-cell ageing; immune dysfunction; and genomic, epigenomic, and transcriptomic instability that set the stage for cancer initiation and progression.