First-Ever Kidney and Liver Tissue Bioprinted in Space Aboard the ISS

The American company Auxilium Biotechnologies has successfully 3D-printed kidney and liver tissue in space for the first time. The experiment was conducted aboard the International Space Station (ISS) using its AMP-1 orbital bioprinter. The samples returned to Earth on June 17, splashing down off the coast of California after traveling as part of NASA’s SpaceX CRS-34 mission. The goal: to advance the manufacturing of biomedical products outside our planet. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

As you may know, bioprinting relies on bio-inks, which are mixtures of living cells and biomaterials, deposited layer by layer to build a structure resembling human tissue. Bringing this technique into space opens the door to manufacturing tissues and biological models directly in orbit, a prospect drawing growing interest in biomedical research.

Tissue sample (left) and a nerve repair implant, both bioprinted aboard the International Space Station (ISS). (Credit: Auxilium Biotechnologies)

Auxilium is targeting a very specific application: organoids, those miniature three-dimensional models that replicate how a human organ functions and are used to study diseases, test drugs, or predict a treatment’s response. The whole point of this technology lies in the search for alternatives to animal testing. Today, organoids are made on Earth and then sent into space; being able to produce them directly in orbit through bioprinting would therefore let researchers have them on demand, without depending on launch schedules or Earth-based supply chains.