An update to space biomedical research: tissue engineering in microgravity bioreactors

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Sciences
• Space Research Applications
• Tissue Engineering

Background:

• The critical demand for replacement tissues in organ transplantation drives innovation in tissue engineering and bioreactor technology.
• Conventional bioreactors face limitations in creating realistic tissue constructs, leading to the development of microgravity tissue engineering using NASA-developed Rotating Wall Vessel (RWV) bioreactors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review significant advancements in tissue engineering achieved through microgravity applications.
• To highlight the impact of microgravity on the development of novel tissue constructs and their applications.

Main Methods:

• Review of research utilizing microgravity conditions for tissue engineering.
• Focus on Rotating Wall Vessel (RWV) bioreactor technology.

Main Results:

• Development of 3D tissue fragments from diverse human cell types, including chondrocytes, osteoblasts, stem cells, hepatocytes, and pancreas islet cells.
• Microgravity-cultured hepatocytes are used in bioartificial liver devices.
• 3D tissue constructs serve in organ replacement, toxicology, food safety, cancer biology studies, drug screening, and cancer immunotherapy models.

Conclusions:

• Tissue engineering in simulated microgravity represents a significant contribution of space research to biomedical sciences and Earth-based applications.
• Microgravity-enhanced tissue engineering offers transformative potential for regenerative medicine and disease modeling.