How NASA is helping fight cancer
Developed by Promega, the OncoMate MSI Dx Analysis System uses NASA-funded research to detect changes in DNA and make medical decisions. (© Promega Corporation)
A benefit of scientific research is how the advancement of knowledge in one area leads to breakthroughs in another. In the United States, research into protecting astronauts from radiation exposure in space is helping fight cancer on Earth.
An astronaut working on the International Space Station for six months is exposed to as much radiation as 1,000 chest X-rays, according to NASA, the US space agency.
Therefore, NASA funds scientific research to measure the effects of radiation on astronauts. While the radiation humans are exposed to in space is different from potential exposures on Earth, each can affect the body and potentially lead to a higher risk of cancer and other diseases.
“We want to be able to determine risk earlier so we can take countermeasures sooner or limit flight time,” said Honglu Wu, chief scientist at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
In 2002, NASA funded a study analyzing how sections of human DNA can help measure a person’s exposure to radiation over time and assess potential DNA damage that could lead to an increased risk of disease.
This research influenced the development of a US Food and Drug Administration-approved test that:
- Helps doctors detect DNA mutations that could increase health risk.
- Identifies at-risk patients.
- Helps to choose the best treatments.
“With this improved detection, we can better help physicians and patients make good decisions about treatment options,” said Annette Burkhouse, medical affairs officer at Madison, Wisconsin-based biotech company Promega, which developed the test, called OncoMate MSI Dx Analysis has developed system.
President Biden has set the national goal of reducing the death rate from cancer by at least 50% over the next 25 years. This Cancer Moonshot also aims to improve the lives of people living with cancer, their families and survivors.
The DNA mutation test is just one example of NASA-funded research leading to scientific breakthroughs that are improving our world. Others include more than 2,000 products and discoveries that are helping fight COVID-19, address global water challenges, support rescue workers and educate cloud computing.
“Research projects like the one NASA funded with Promega years ago lead to unexpected things,” Burkhouse said.
The International Space Station’s National Laboratory is soliciting research proposals that NASA says could further advance cancer treatments and diagnostics, including the development of more targeted and effective drug delivery systems if conducted in space.
In the fight against cancer, NASA technologies designed to detect man-made radio signals in space and sharpen images from the Hubble Space Telescope have improved early detection of breast cancer in mammograms and led to better health outcomes.
“Fighting cancer as we know it has the power to save lives, unite our country and inspire the world,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in July 2022.
