Glioma Co Culture

GCC integrated Experiment Unit

GCC Scientific models performing biological compatibility tests at the ICR

Project Name: Glioma Co Culture

Customer: UK Space Agency - under contract to the Institute of Cancer Research

Objective: Investigate Subclonal Co-operativity in Diffuse Midline Glioma (DMG) in microgravity.

Description: 

Diffuse midline gliomas (DMG) are childhood brain tumours for which there is currently no cure. Unlike histologically similar lesions in adults, DMGs affect critical midline structures such as the brainstem, making surgical resection impossible. Less than 5% of children survive 2 years past diagnosis. A key element of DMG that frustrates the researchers’ ability to devise effective treatments is the presence of extensive intratumoral heterogeneity in these tumours. However, it has been seen that they co-operate to drive certain processes such as tumour invasion and migration. Current studies are using increasing complex analytical techniques to tease apart connections between distinct DMG subpopulations, however the physiological relevance of these experimental systems is imperfect due to the challenges in cultivating cell samples under normal laboratory conditions, where the cells tend to sediment instead of forming 3D aggregates. In the present project, the investigators of the ICR wish to use state-of-the-art single cell profiling to explore the spatial interactions between DMG subclones in the unconstrained 3D environment afforded by microgravity. They hypothesise that this will allow to identify novel mechanisms of inter-clonal communication such that disruptor strategies can be designed that may be efficacious for children with these tumours by targeting the most important subpopulations of cells which promote and maintain the tumorigenic phenotype in DMGs.

Kayser Space is the industry partner in charge of all space operations related activities and the design, manufacture and qualification of the bioreactor where the DMC sub-cloned will be cultured. The hardware comprises a culture chamber and reservoirs with pumps providing multiple culture chamber refreshes of different media.