SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Researchers from the University of California, San Diego and Axiom Space astronauts are testing a potential cure for cancer in space.
Scientists from UCSD’s Sanford Stem Cell Institute are working in collaboration with Axiom Space and the JM Foundation on the research project called Cancer in LEO-3, which aims to test how cancer cells behave in response to radiation and microgravity in low Earth orbit (LEO).
Catriona Jamieson, M.D., Ph.D. at the Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center at UCSD Medical Center in La Jolla, is the primary investigator on the project, in partnership with researcher Jessica Pham.
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The study focuses on the anti-cancer drug “rebecsinib” which was developed by Dr. Jamieson and her lab. Researchers say rebecsinib has the potential to fight 23 different types of cancer.
The drug launched into space for further testing aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Axiom Space’s Ax-4 mission on Wednesday, June 11.
(June 26, 2025) — The Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) and Expedition 73 crews join each other for a group portrait inside the International Space Station’s Harmony module. (NASA)On Axiom Space’s previous mission, Ax-3, the new drug acted as a “kill switch” by stopping the growth of “ADAR1-expressing breast cancer organoids,” according to researchers.
During the current mission, Ax-4, astronauts on the International Space Station will test how rebecsinib affects tumor organoids derived from cancer stem cells related to leukemia, ovarian cancer, metastatic breast cancer and glioblastoma multiforme.
The Ax-4 crew includes astronauts from India, Poland and Hungary. According to Axiom Space, the mission marks each nation’s first trip to space in over 40 years.
Peggy Whitson from the U.S. serves as commander on the Ax-4 mission. She is accompanied by Shubhanshu Shukla, an Indian Air Force pilot, and mission specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland, and Tibor Kapu from Hungary.
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The unconventional blending of UCSD's expertise with astronaut-led testing in space marks a new frontier for cancer research, offering promising initial glimpses towards advancing the battle against this deadly disease.
