TAMPA, Fla. — Axiom Space’s “Axiom Mission 1” is the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station.

It’s set to launch Friday with the goal of conducting scientific research, outreach and commercial activities aboard the ISS.

One experiment heading up into space has roots in Tampa at Moffitt Cancer Center.

“The first step is putting the cells in this top layer,” said Dr. Liz Bailey as she showed how SpacePharma’s lab-on-a-chip works.

Bailey is a research scientist at Moffitt Cancer Center.

“My dream is to create better drugs for sick people. I know that doesn’t sound very specific, but it keeps me busy,” she said.

For the past two years, she’s been working with Dr. Patricia McDonald, Derek Duckett, and Moffitt Cancer Center faculty members and founders of CADW Therapeutics. 

Between microgravity and radiation, space travel is hard on the human body.

“It has put me outside of my comfort zone,” she said.

She showed Spectrum Bay News 9's Alese Underwood a prototype of the chip. The scientists will test cells in space to see if genomic damage during space travel is connected to the silencing of a very specific gene.

“We’re sending cells to the International Space Station that either have the beta-arrestin gene or deleted for the beta-arrestin gene. The idea is these two cell types will be exposed to the same harsh environment the astronauts are exposed to,” said McDonald.

This gene has been found to play major roles in chronic stress-induced DNA damage, leading to functional changes that accompany several diseases, including cancer.

“If we delete this gene, beta-arrestin1, that we can prevent or significantly reduce the DNA damage that occurs when you stress these cells,” said McDonald.

“As you can see, it’s fully assembled here. This is what all the little parts look like. We do this so that it’ll be a fully enclosed system that can be completely controlled remotely so the cells will live and get their media treatments without any human interference,” explained Bailey.

The chip goes into another small box with a tiny refrigerator and a camera. Ten days in space have taken years of testing and more than half a million dollars in grant funding. A lot is riding on the little chip, but for Bailey, it’s all about the future.

“People are even trying to go to Mars and the space flights will be even longer. It feels kind of like the next frontier of cancer research, so it feels very exciting to be a part of it,” she said.

She hopes this work makes a difference for generations.

“I just want to emphasize to young people, especially women, don’t be intimidated. It’s never too late to start,” she said.