When I lectured on #Space topics back in the day at #KSCVC, I often talked about how #ISS helped #NASA do microgravity research into potential #Cancer cures and treatments.
I was chummy with a German group which found that cancer cells tend to die in microgravity. Why? The hypothesis was that the cells drown in their own waste. But they warned it might be years, or never, before they figured out how to apply that on Earth. Apparently they've folded.
Here's what's new.
https://www.issnationallab.org/release-issrdc2024-igniting-innovation-project-selection/
@WordsmithFL That research is interesting, and I'm not discouraging it, but I can't help but wonder if it pans out, who could afford the treatment?
@TrueBloodNet That is true of every drug developed in the U.S. It's not unique to ISS cancer research.
Biden/Harris have promoted the "cancer moonshot" initiative. If a Harris administration is elected, they might be more inclined to provide subsidies. But that's a long way off.
@WordsmithFL Is it true that cancer drug research is expensive? Yes. But costs come down over time as they get cometition and patents expire. Is research in space more expensive and unlikely to drop since we'd have to shoot patients into space? Probably not.
@TrueBloodNet That was a common question I received. My answer was, "If you were Big Pharma and were told that, for a $1 billion investment, you'd have the cure for cancer?" I think they'd write that check in a heartbeat.
I had hopes for the German team because they were outside of the US pharmaceutical industry, therefore no demand for short-term profit. But they warned me it might be 20 years or never.
NASA sometimes offers grants and subsidies to jump-start microgravity research. (1/2)
@TrueBloodNet #Biden got legislation through Congress that reduced the cost for seniors of insulin to $35, and capped all drug payments for seniors to $2,000/year.
I'm on Xarelto, which is $400/bottle. Biden announced that Xarelto is next on the list to negotiate down to $35/bottle.
If/when the cancer cure comes along, maybe President Chelsea Clinton gets legislation through Congress to make that more affordable too. 😉
@WordsmithFL I'm a diabetic senior who isn't on insulin. The whole senior community's base costs went up to cover some of the changes. Next year, my base Part D will go from $5 to $50. With the Alzheimer's drugs now coming online, senior's base costs are going to go up again. IMO, spreading the costs out to include healthy young people works, but sharing the costs of only certain diseases across a small, older, sicker population is having a big impact on lower income seniors.
@TrueBloodNet But grants can come from elsewhere, e.g. Biden's "cancer moonshot" initiative. Sometimes wealthy people kick in money too.
I'm winding up a book on Florida space policy. I found that, over the years, grants can some from all sorts of places and agencies, not just NASA.
CASIS will also provide incentives, discounts, and grants. They're the "secret sauce" for ISS research. They partner researchers with other researchers and investors. (2/2)
@WordsmithFL The problem is that the intrinsic cost of treatment would include very high base costs that aren't profitable to the pharma industry and are unlikely to come down in our lifetimes.