A 3D Bioprinter on Board the ISS: The Future of Space Medicine?

Astronauts must be prepared for a variety of health problems in space, because they have no direct access to comprehensive medical care in their isolated environment. Although medical equipment and medicines are available on board space stations, and astronauts can communicate with doctors on Earth, treatment options remain limited. But new research in orbit, including the use of a 3D bioprinter, could soon change all that.

Finnish bioprinting company Brinter AM Technologies recently sent the Brinter Core 3D bioprinter to the International Space Station (ISS). The printer was first delivered to Redwire Space NV, a space systems developer currently leading a project to integrate the 3D biosystem on the ISS, with financial support from the European Space Agency (ESA). Once adapted and integrated into the 3D biosystem on the ISS’s Columbus module, the printer should be able to produce biological samples in orbit, meeting a wide range of space requirements.

The bioprinter installation on the ISS (Photo credits: Redwire)

This research aims to study the effects of microgravity on 3D-printed cellular structures to improve the management of health emergencies and diseases in space. Research will also be carried out on 3D printed drugs, toxicology and 3D printed body parts. Tomi Kalpio, CEO of Brinter AM Technologies Oy, explains that astronauts can use the bioprinter to “create tissue-like constructs to replace damaged parts of their bodies”, for example to treat skin burns or bone lesions. The 3D printer is to be used to grow cells, organs, tissue implants and cell matrices. These offer the possibility of studying the effects of microgravity and other space factors on human tissues, including bone, cartilage, vascular networks and, ultimately, whole organs.