From basic research to patient care
“The joint effort between NASA and UCSF to accelerate cancer research may not seem obvious. However, the challenges endured by humans in space flight are analogous to many of the challenges endured by cancer patients on Earth,” said Aenor Sawyer, MD, a UCSF orthopedist in the UCSF Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and director of UC Space Health who spearheaded and led the event.
The University of California has long pioneered research and innovation propelling human space exploration, and the UC Space Health program focuses on myriad medical and behavioral issues affecting space and bringing knowledge back home. The meeting was also supported by UCSF Innovation Ventures.
In the morning portion at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco, a delegation from NASA Johnson Space Center, including astronauts Yvonne Cagle, MD, and Kenneth D. Cockrell, a retired veteran of five Space Shuttle missions who disclosed his own bout with multiple myeloma, met with youths in their hospital rooms and also with ambulatory pediatric and adult cancer patients.
NASA astronaut Yvonne Cagle visits the oncology ward at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco.
“We are inspired by all of you, your passion, your fight,” said Eugene Tu, PhD, director of NASA Ames Research Center, a 3,000-employee lab started in 1939.
The afternoon scientific roundtable, bridging fields through focused discussion, tackled assorted themes including radiation exposure, isolation, gravity fields, hostile environments and emerging technologies.
“There were over a dozen exciting project ideas that were generated before the day even ended,” said Sawyer. “These and many others will be explored over the next month, and joint scientific NASA and UCSF working groups will be established to move promising projects forward.”
For Mitchel Berger, MD, a UCSF neurosurgeon and director of the UCSF Brain Tumor Center, collaboration is key.
“Leveraging technology is a great advantage to partnering with NASA,” Berger said. “We are thrilled to be part of this and look forward to the great opportunity of working with NASA.”
Vanessa E. Wyche, director of Johnson Space Center, described the “privilege of leading human space flight for the nation.” She applauded the work of UCSF and detailed how joint work benefits patients and caregivers, including NASA’s contributions to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), one of the most important innovations in medical technology.
Her words quietly resonated with Sergio Canjura, a UCSF Health patient in San Francisco who has battled brain cancer and related conditions for many years.
“I’ve had too many MRIs to count,” he said. “Hearing about them brought back the feeling, the fear, what it felt like to be in an MRI. It helped me make a direct connection. This has been such an amazing experience.”
From basic research to patient care
“The joint effort between NASA and UCSF to accelerate cancer research may not seem obvious. However, the challenges endured by humans in space flight are analogous to many of the challenges endured by cancer patients on Earth,” said Aenor Sawyer, MD, a UCSF orthopedist in the UCSF Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and director of UC Space Health who spearheaded and led the event.
The University of California has long pioneered research and innovation propelling human space exploration, and the UC Space Health program focuses on myriad medical and behavioral issues affecting space and bringing knowledge back home. The meeting was also supported by UCSF Innovation Ventures.
In the morning portion at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco, a delegation from NASA Johnson Space Center, including astronauts Yvonne Cagle, MD, and Kenneth D. Cockrell, a retired veteran of five Space Shuttle missions who disclosed his own bout with multiple myeloma, met with young people in their hospital rooms and also with ambulatory pediatric and adult cancer patients.
NASA astronaut Yvonne Cagle visits the oncology ward at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco.
“We are inspired by all of you, your passion, your fight,” said Eugene Tu, PhD, director of NASA Ames Research Center, a 3,000-employee lab started in 1939.
The afternoon scientific roundtable, bridging fields through focused discussion, tackled assorted themes, including radiation exposure, isolation, gravity fields, hostile environments and emerging technologies.
“There were over a dozen exciting project ideas that were generated before the day even ended,” said Sawyer. “These and many others will be explored over the next month, and joint scientific NASA and UCSF working groups will be established to move promising projects forward.”
For Mitchel Berger, MD, a UCSF neurosurgeon and director of the UCSF Brain Tumor Center, collaboration is key.
“Leveraging technology is a great advantage to partnering with NASA,” Berger said. “We are thrilled to be part of this and look forward to the great opportunity of working with NASA.”
Vanessa E. Wyche, director of Johnson Space Center, described the “privilege of leading human space flight for the nation.” She applauded the work of UCSF and detailed how joint work benefits patients and caregivers, including NASA’s contributions to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), one of the most important innovations in medical technology.
Her words quietly resonated with Sergio Canjura, a UCSF Health patient in San Francisco who has battled brain cancer and related conditions for many years.
“I’ve had too many MRIs to count,” he said. “Hearing about them brought back the feeling, the fear, what it felt like to be in an MRI. It helped me make a direct connection. This has been such an amazing experience.”
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