Fighting Cancer with Space Biology

The Medicine Nobel Prize Laureate Ardem Patapoutian discovered receptors responsible for mechanosensitivity. Mechanotransduction, a process that cells convert mechanical forces into biochemical signals, plays an important role in many physiological processes.

Gravitational force is believed to contribute significantly in the development or progression of diseases. This research aims to investigate the effect of space-mimicking microgravity on tumour cell adhesion, proliferation, migration, and viability, consequently tumour colony formation, oncogenic progression, and metastatic potential. Significant outcomes of the project will include fundamental understanding of space mechanobiology and microgravity effect on cancer which will provide new opportunities for novel cancer treatments.