We've all heard of it. Exotic research being done in various areas on the International Space Station using the unique, low gravity, environment of space to achieve research results impossible to reach on earth:
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap060516.html Examples (link below) of research being done on the ISS on cancer in particular. Do watch the three videos in the link. They are short, but fascinating. Especially the first one:
https://www.issnationallab.org/cancer-research-on-the-space-station/ And aside from cancer research, here is a report on some other health areas where research in space is being done on the ISS:
https://www.nasa.gov/missions/station/space-station-leads-to-breakthroughs-in-human-health-on-earth/It also seems that academia is recognizing the importance and need for creating centers on their campuses for performing research and studies in the field which is now coming to be known as space medicine.
Examples:
University of Michigan Space Institute, Space Medicine:
https://space.umich.edu/education/spacemedicine/Baylor University Center for Space Medicine:
https://www.bcm.edu/academic-centers/space-medicineand
University of Colorado Space and Extreme Environment Medicine:
https://www.coloradowm.org/programs/spacemedicine/among others.
I remember once reading long ago, as a kid, some science fiction story about
aliens from a distant planet bringing the cure for cancer across space to give to us earthlings.
Well, wouldn't it be something if the cure for cancer DOES INDEED come from outer space,
but from the ISS, where we earthlings, not aliens, discovered it!
Once again science fiction may become science reality!