Space bubbles may help detect cancer biomarkers earlier with greater precision

Researchers have collaborated with the International Space Station to develop more advanced biosensing technology for early cancer diagnosis.

The University of Notre Dame has the goal to develop a highly sensitive sensor that may identify early-stage cancer in a single blood sample—even before symptoms arise.

While this vision might seem ambitious, they believe it is possible with the right technology and research.

They have conducted a series of experiments on the microgravity environment of ISS, where things behave differently there due to the absence of gravity.

Bubbles behave differently in microgravity

Tengfei Luo, principal investigator, is working on leveraging the unique properties of bubbles in space to develop highly sensitive biosensors .

Bubbles can develop larger and more stable on the ISS than on Earth due to the lack of gravity. These bubbles are used to concentrate chemicals like cancer biomarkers in liquid samples. This may make biomarkers simpler to identify.

“Blood samples undergo screening in space, where the absence of gravity leads to an unexpected occurrence: the formation of unusually large bubbles that more efficiently concentrate substances like cancer biomarkers for detection,” noted Upward , the official magazine of the ISS National Laboratory.

On Earth, bubble growth is governed by buoyancy and convective flow.

Buoyancy is the upward force imparted on fluid that pushes objects up in fluids. On the other hand, convective flow is heat transfer through moving fluid.

In microgravity, bubbles can grow larger without these factors interfering.

Customized device for testing

According to Upward, the team has finished its third experiment, which was recently sent to the orbital station on Northrop Grumman’s 21st Commercial Resupply Services mission. This investigation builds on their prior study funded by the ISS National Lab.

They conduct their research using a customized equipment known as CubeLab. This enables automated research of bubble production and behavior in microgravity. Moreover, it is equipped with advanced cameras to take high-resolution imagery and data of bubbles in action.

The ISS National Lab Commercial Service Provider, Space Tango, worked with Luo’s team to create the CubeLab equipment.

The most recent ISS experiment successfully used laser heating to improve bubble behavior, resulting in a greater concentration of collected particles.

This is a key milestone in the process of detecting early cancer biomarkers and other trace elements in blood samples.

More such experiments are expected. The research and development will ultimately pave the way for the creation of highly sensitive biosensors. However, it may take some more years of work, and rigorous testing on Earth.

“The technology currently available to screen for early, asymptomatic cancer before a tumor is visible during imaging is very limited to just a few cancers,” Luo, associate chair in the department of aerospace and mechanical engineering at the University of Notre Dame, told the Upward .

This biosensing technique might improve the efficacy of cancer diagnostic instruments that depend on extracting highly concentrated samples from liquids.

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death globally, with nearly 20 million new cases and 9.7 million cancer-related deaths reported in 2022 alone. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) predicts that these numbers will continue to increase.

If this blood test -based cancer screening using this bubble technology becomes widely available and affordable, it would result in better health outcomes for everybody.

Apart from advancing cancer screening, Luo’s research has the potential to improve monitoring astronaut health, and even detect pollutants in water.