Glioblastoma organoids grown aboard the International Space Station (ISS) more closely resemble real human brain tumors than those grown on Earth, according to a study from the University of Notre Dame published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The work, led by the lab of Meenal Datta and supported by the ISS National Laboratory, suggests that microgravity could help scientists build more realistic cancer models for testing new treatments.
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common malignant primary brain tumor in adults and one of the most aggressive and deadly forms of cancer. It is difficult to remove surgically because it often sends microscopic “tentacles” into healthy brain tissue, and it is hard to treat because it creates an immunosuppressive microenvironment that helps it evade immune attack and resist therapy.
Why glioblastoma organoids are hard to grow on Earth
Organoids are small, three-dimensional models designed to mimic the structure and biology of human tissue, in this case acting as “mini tumors.” Even sophisticated organoids fail to reproduce key features of advanced GBM. On Earth, gravity makes cells settle, which can interfere with the formation of complex 3D structures.
In microgravity, cells can assemble with less interference from sedimentation. That allows researchers to better recreate the tumor architecture and cellular interactions seen in patients. The Notre Dame team grew organoids from GBM cells and innate immune cells to capture how the tumor interacts with the immune system.
What 40 days in orbit changed
The investigation launched in 2024 on SpaceX’s 30th commercial resupply mission, with support from the ISS National Lab and implementation partner Space Tango. The organoids grew in space for 40 days before returning to Earth for analysis. Compared with Earth-grown controls, the space-grown organoids showed:
- Greater activity in genes linked to inflammation, immune responses, tissue remodeling and blood vessel formation
- Higher levels of proteins associated with more aggressive GBM biology
- A more immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, a hallmark of advanced GBM
- More uniform and reproducible structure, according to the lab
The study also produced the first comprehensive multiomics dataset from space-grown organoids. The team combined transcriptomics, proteomics, chemical imaging and multiplexed histology to show gene activity, protein expression and how cells are organized within the tissue. The paper’s lead author is Dr. Alice Burchett Darantiere, a recent graduate of Datta’s Tumor Immune Microenvironment and Mechanics (TIME) Lab.
Glioblastoma organoids and “orbital oncology”
“By growing GBM organoids on the ISS, we demonstrated that microgravity fuels a model phenotype that recapitulates human tumors better and faster than we achieve on the ground,” said Datta, the Jane Schoelch DeFlorio Collegiate Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at Notre Dame. “This work helps lay the foundation for a new era of orbital oncology that moves cancer research from bedside to orbit and back again.”
Michael Roberts, chief scientist of the ISS National Lab, said that combining human-derived glioblastoma cells with immune cells in space “could prove to be a landmark study in the effort to better understand and treat GBM and other aggressive cancers.”
What comes next
Datta’s team has already launched two more ISS investigations, this time using patient-derived GBM-immune organoids. The most recent flew on the SpaceX CRS-35 mission. Using cells from patients could bring the models even closer to the tumors doctors see in the clinic.
The researchers do not claim a new treatment. The goal is better models: if space-grown organoids capture advanced disease more faithfully, they could help researchers study how GBM progresses and screen therapies more reliably.
As a writer, I find it striking that one of the hardest cancers to model may be easier to study 400 kilometers above the Earth. For more on research aboard the ISS and in cancer care, see our stories on UF’s powdery mildew tests on the ISS, NASA’s search for private space stations and a lab-on-a-chip for childhood leukemia drug tests.
FAQ
What are glioblastoma organoids?
They are small 3D models grown from glioblastoma cells, here combined with immune cells, that mimic the structure and biology of the brain tumor so researchers can study it and test treatments.
Why grow them in space?
In microgravity, cells do not settle the way they do on Earth, so they can form more complex 3D structures that better resemble advanced human tumors.
Is this a new glioblastoma treatment?
No. The study shows a better laboratory model. It could help researchers understand the disease and test therapies, but it is not a treatment itself.