Hundreds of kilometres above Earth, inside the weightless environment of the International Space Station, astronauts are helping scientists unlock new possibilities in medicine — from cancer treatment to heart repair and tissue regeneration.
During Expedition 74 in May 2026, NASA astronauts carried out a series of advanced biomedical experiments aboard the ISS, using the Japanese Kibo laboratory module and its Life Science Glovebox to study how microgravity affects human cells, drugs and biological materials.
The research focused on pancreatic cancer therapies, cartilage tissue growth, heart stem cells and DNA-inspired nanomaterials that may one day improve treatments for chronic diseases.
Fighting Cancer in Microgravity
NASA Flight Engineer Chris Williams worked on the Space Cancer Therapeutics experiment inside the Kibo laboratory module.
Scientists are studying how microgravity changes the behaviour of anti-cancer drugs and cancer cells, particularly in pancreatic cancer treatment. In space, cancer cells can grow into three-dimensional tumour structures called spheroids and organoids, which closely resemble how tumours behave inside the human body.
Researchers believe these space-grown models may help scientists better understand tumour growth and test new medicines more effectively than traditional laboratory methods on Earth.
Growing Human Cartilage in Space
NASA astronaut Jessica Meir conducted experiments aimed at growing cartilage tissue in space.
Cartilage is the flexible connective tissue found in joints, ears, the nose and rib cage. Because it has limited ability to heal naturally, scientists are exploring whether microgravity can help grow stronger and more realistic three-dimensional tissue structures for future medical applications.
The experiment used specialised hardware inside Kibo’s Life Science Glovebox to observe how cartilage forms in weightless conditions.
Heart Cells, Bacteria and DNA-Inspired Materials
The ISS research programme also included studies involving heart stem cells and pneumonia-causing bacteria linked to cardiovascular disease research.
On April 23, 2026, Jessica Meir processed stem cell samples for experiments examining possible treatments for heart conditions.
On the same day, NASA Flight Engineer Jack Hathaway and Sophie Adenot of the European Space Agency worked on manufacturing DNA-inspired nanomaterials inside the Kibo module.
These materials are being studied for use in advanced cancer therapies, immunotherapies and treatments for chronic illnesses.
Why Space Matters for Medicine
Microgravity changes how cells grow, interact and organise themselves. Without Earth’s gravity pulling cells downward, tissues can form naturally in three dimensions — something difficult to recreate in normal laboratories.
This makes the ISS a unique environment for biomedical research.
In recent years, scientists have increasingly used the space station to grow tumour organoids, heart tissue and miniature disease models that may improve drug testing and personalised medicine.
In 2024, the ISS National Laboratory and NASA selected several cancer-related projects under the “Igniting Innovation” programme, including research at the University of California San Diego studying accelerated cancer development in microgravity.
Researchers at the Sanford Stem Cell Institute later observed tumour spheroids tripling in size within just 10 days in space conditions, demonstrating how rapidly cancer models can develop in microgravity.
The Future of Space Medicine
By June 2025, scientists at Cedars-Sinai had successfully used stem cells to create heart organoids aboard the ISS to study how cancer medicines affect the human heart.
Meanwhile, biotechnology companies such as Encapsulate have explored tumour-on-a-chip systems in space to test chemotherapy drugs in more realistic cancer environments.
As biomedical research aboard the ISS expands, scientists hope the discoveries made in orbit could eventually transform healthcare on Earth — improving cancer therapies, tissue engineering and treatment methods for millions of patients worldwide.