Summary:

Dr. Catriona Jamieson and her team set out to explore how the space environment could reveal unique behaviors of an aggressive form of breast cancer. This endeavor required a long and complex process of designing and developing custom bioreactors and auxiliary hardware to enable precise lab experimentation in microgravity. After extensive optimization and scientific validation, the first mission was secured through an implementation partner, sending cancer cell samples to the ISS National Lab. Aboard the station, astronauts conducted critical lab activities, including routine cell culture, sample processing, and data acquisition.

The initial mission yielded groundbreaking results, showing a dramatic increase in tumor growth rate and identifying ADAR1 as a key pathway driving this phenomenon. Building on these insights, a second mission was launched to test a panel of pre-selected drugs targeting ADAR1, with Rebecsinib emerging as a promising candidate for tumor growth inhibition. A third mission then confirmed the efficacy of Rebecsinib against this aggressive breast cancer. The consistency of these results provided the confidence needed to advance the drug into further development, optimization, and ultimately, clinical trials.