Leading this effort, MD Anderson researchers Cassian Yee, M.D., and Kunal Rai, Ph.D., will work with Axiom Space, BioServe Space Technologies, Deep Space Biology, and Mongoose Bio.

"We are excited to join with talented collaborators who are experienced in biological research and in delivering payloads to deep space in order to leverage the unique research environment of sustained microgravity on the ISS National Laboratory," said Yee, professor of Melanoma Medical Oncology. "We look forward to this opportunity to study how T cells are affected by microgravity, identify novel targets and translate these findings into meaningful therapeutic strategies that can improve cellular therapies and enhance life here on Earth."

Axiom Space and BioServe Space Technologies will provide hardware implementation, drawing on their extensive experience with biological payloads in space. The project will include two ISS missions, paving the way for future research phases on Axiom Space's upcoming commercial space station, Axiom Station.

The Rai and Yee labs will utilize single-cell sequencing on samples cryopreserved in flight and returned to Earth to evaluate in vivo temporal and dynamic epigenetic changes, developing models for the different cell states. This work will be supported by Deep Space Biology's Yotta technology, the first AI platform using space biology research for health discoveries on Earth. Mongoose Bio, a biopharmaceutical cell therapy company, will leverage technology licensed from MD Anderson to translate and scale discoveries for future cell therapy projects and potential cancer treatments.

Cell therapy, a type of immunotherapy, modifies or expands immune cells to better recognize and eliminate cancer cells. Approved cell therapies include chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapies, which are T cells engineered to target specific cancer markers. However, these therapies are not effective for all patients, as infused T cells can become exhausted or cancer can evade the immune system.

Previous studies on Earth and in space indicate that microgravity can impact T cell biology by altering the cytoskeleton, chromatin structure, activation, and other gravity-sensitive elements, suggesting it may also affect cell differentiation.

A deeper understanding of immune differentiation pathways could advance other cell therapies being developed at MD Anderson, such as endogenous T cell (ETC) therapies, T cell receptor (TCR)-based therapies, and CAR natural killer (NK) cell therapies.

The research aims to identify transcriptional and epigenetic signatures for microgravity-induced T cell memory, effector, and exhaustion states; validate the effects of target overexpression or knockdown on T cell states; and optimize target combinations for desired T cell states on Earth.

"This multidisciplinary project bridges the intersection of space science and immunology to uncover potential breakthroughs in cell therapy research," said Rai, associate professor of Genomic Medicine. "This work will provide new insights into immune cell epigenetic pathways that will allow us to identify targets, simulate models and develop techniques to enhance T cell memory and prevent cell exhaustion so we can improve patient outcomes."

This project is supported by a grant from the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, Inc. (CASIS), which manages the ISS National Laboratory. CASIS and the Biological and Physical Sciences division of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) aim to select and fund spaceflight projects that lead to technological innovation milestones, aligning with national research and technology development priorities and the ISS National Lab mission to benefit humanity and the U.S. economy.

Related Links
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Space Medicine Technology and Systems