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It's a shame that it is practically impossible to culture healthy cells the way they probably cultured these cancer cells so there is not really a control exper

It's a shame that it is practically impossible to culture healthy cells the way they probably cultured these cancer cells so there is not really a control experiment. But we know people (bags of healthy cell in their normal environment) don't die in space and cancer cells (presumably they did the same experiment on earth) keep growing in normal gravity. So what we can say is that the combination of loosing their normal environment and gravity kills these cancer cells (if they used cell lines those cells are hardly comparable to normal cancer cells anymore by the way). It's interesting to find out why, but it's a long way from saying that this finding will help cure cancer.

nabla9 7y ago
Skylab did some experiments. The Response of Single Human Cells to Zero Gravity https://lsda.jsc.nasa.gov/Experiment/exper/424 https://lsda.jsc.nasa.gov/Experiment/exper/424 >RESULTS: >Ten cultures were fixed during the first 12 days of flight. Growth curves, DNA microspectrophometery, phase microscopy, and ultrastructural studies of the fixed cells revealed no effects of a zero-gravity environment on the ten cultures. Two cultures were photographed by means of phase time-lapse cinematography during the first 27 days of the flight. Analysis of the films revealed no differences in mitotic index, cell cycle, and migration between the flight and control cells. No differences between the flight and control cell cultures were observed in the karotype and chromosome banding. Minor unexplained differences have been found in the biochemical constituents of the used flight and control media.
- brnt 7y ago
  One could argue piles of individual cells (on petri-dishes) might not be representative for whole-tissue or even whole-organ behaviour, in situ, where cells do have a single spatial position, which is of course the very thing upon which gravity acts.
Roark66 7y ago
>It's a shame that it is practically impossible to culture healthy cells the way they probably cultured these cancer cells so there is not really a control experiment. Why not? What is special about the way they culture those cells compared to a non-cancerous cell culture? (genuinely asking)
- lalaland1125 7y ago
  Normal human cells intentionally try to avoid growing too much, especially in weird environments (this is important for keeping things stable and functioning). Cancer cells on the other hand are cancerous for the very reason that those controls are broken. They will try to grow uncontrollably, everywhere.
- virusduck 7y ago
  Most (cancer) cell lines are sufficient in factors that normal cells are not (nutrients, growth factors, recalcitrance to death signals, all sorts of things). Thus, they are much more robust and some cell lines can grow in 3D structures, in suspension, and in monolayers in flasks. While we do routinely culture primary cell explants, they are much more finicky. In part because their environment changes dramatically. Eventually they succumb to cell death (either apoptotic or not) or they senesce.

nabla9 7y ago

Skylab did some experiments. The Response of Single Human Cells to Zero Gravity https://lsda.jsc.nasa.gov/Experiment/exper/424 https://lsda.jsc.nasa.gov/Experiment/exper/424 >RESULTS: >Ten cultures were fixed during the first 12 days of flight. Growth curves, DNA microspectrophometery, phase microscopy, and ultrastructural studies of the fixed cells revealed no effects of a zero-gravity environment on the ten cultures. Two cultures were photographed by means of phase time-lapse cinematography during the first 27 days of the flight. Analysis of the films revealed no differences in mitotic index, cell cycle, and migration between the flight and control cells. No differences between the flight and control cell cultures were observed in the karotype and chromosome banding. Minor unexplained differences have been found in the biochemical constituents of the used flight and control media.

brnt 7y ago
One could argue piles of individual cells (on petri-dishes) might not be representative for whole-tissue or even whole-organ behaviour, in situ, where cells do have a single spatial position, which is of course the very thing upon which gravity acts.

Roark66 7y ago

>It's a shame that it is practically impossible to culture healthy cells the way they probably cultured these cancer cells so there is not really a control experiment. Why not? What is special about the way they culture those cells compared to a non-cancerous cell culture? (genuinely asking)

lalaland1125 7y ago
Normal human cells intentionally try to avoid growing too much, especially in weird environments (this is important for keeping things stable and functioning). Cancer cells on the other hand are cancerous for the very reason that those controls are broken. They will try to grow uncontrollably, everywhere.
virusduck 7y ago
Most (cancer) cell lines are sufficient in factors that normal cells are not (nutrients, growth factors, recalcitrance to death signals, all sorts of things). Thus, they are much more robust and some cell lines can grow in 3D structures, in suspension, and in monolayers in flasks. While we do routinely culture primary cell explants, they are much more finicky. In part because their environment changes dramatically. Eventually they succumb to cell death (either apoptotic or not) or they senesce.