Gravity-Tolerant In-Flight 3D Bioprinting Enabled by Stereolithography for Space Tissue Engineering

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Regenerative Medicine
• Space Medicine

Background:

• Long-duration space missions require advanced medical solutions for acute injuries.
• Current space-compatible personalized therapies for high-risk injuries are limited.
• Environmental stressors like gravitational fluctuations pose challenges for technology development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the feasibility of 3D bioprinting for creating patient-specific tissue constructs in space.
• To assess the performance of a 3D bioprinting system under varying gravity conditions.
• To establish a robust platform for regenerative wound care in extreme environments.

Main Methods:

• Developed a flight-compliant, closed stereolithographic (SLA) bioprinting system.
• Printed acellular and cell-laden (fibroblast, keratinocyte) hydrogel constructs.
• Tested the system under diverse gravitational conditions during parabolic flight (0-1.8 g).

Main Results:

• The SLA bioprinting system maintained dimensional fidelity of 3D structures under dynamic accelerative conditions.
• High cell viability was preserved in both fibroblast- and keratinocyte-laden constructs, irrespective of gravity.
• High-resolution features and complex architectures were fabricated with precision comparable to normal-gravity controls.

Conclusions:

• SLA bioprinting is a robust and gravity-tolerant platform for fabricating viable, cell-laden constructs.
• This technology offers a promising pathway for advancing tissue engineering in space.
• The findings support the development of personalized regenerative therapies for extreme environments.