Biotech in Space: Growing Human Organs in Microgravity

Space biology is no longer just about stars and shuttles; it’s enabling us to grow organs in orbit. In recent years, biotechnology in microgravity has opened entirely new pathways, like the possibility of growing human organs in space.

Bioprinting is an advanced form of 3D printing that creates tissues and organs layer by layer. Its ability to be conducted in zero gravity allows tissue engineering in new avenues because it eliminates the chances of soft tissues collapsing under their weight^[1].

In space, bioprinting can also be used to aid long-term human colonization by manufacturing life-support items, e.g., living filters, thus negating the necessity of importing such items directly to space from Earth^[1].

Bioprinters do not require resin or thermoplastics like traditional printers; rather, they use bioinks—gel-like materials infused with living cells, used as “ink” to print tissues—that can be compatible with living tissue.

Medical Challenges in Space

Medical services in these missions are hampered by the lack of space and the inability to rush back to Earth in the case of an emergency. Consequently, crews should be ready to attend to medical operations with minimal resources.

Additive manufacturing (AM) enables astronauts to produce essential items on-demand, increasing mission autonomy. Among its most exciting branches is 3D bioprinting—now being explored to create tissues and organs in space. The technologies help in developing space-applicable tissue engineering and regenerative medicine^[1].

What is Bioprinting?

The bioprinting process allows building models of both healthy and diseased systems, contributing to the evolution of medical procedures, as well as the development of hybrid living/non-living medical gadgets^[2].

Medical revolutions may also come about faster on Earth based on what is learned in microgravity expeditions, especially among age-related and chronic illnesses like osteoporosis. ^[1]

Microgravity’s Edge in Tissue Engineering

While printing soft biomaterials allows for the simulation of natural body conditions, these structures are easily collapsed by gravity, an issue that can be solved by bioprinting in microgravity.

Studies of bioprinting in the International Space Station (ISS) open exclusive possibilities to develop the scaffold-free approach—a technique where cells assemble without needing support structures, mimicking how tissues grow naturally in the body—to tissue engineering and expand its use to different types of cells. Additionally, bioprinting can be used to create living and mixed systems to model diseases and develop healthcare remedies^[1].

Biofabrication, a rapidly growing STEM field, offers unique advantages in microgravity—allowing more precise and biocompatible organ constructs. Furthermore, the examination of such fabricated tissues under space conditions can reveal peculiarities of human physiology and inform modern Earth-bound medicine and future deep space missions^[3].

Bioprinting Advances

The ISS’s BioFabrication Facility (BFF)—a facility developed with Techshot/Redwire—matured core collagen for developing human knee meniscus. Bioink, culture media, fixative (a substance used to preserve the tissue), and cells were transported to the ISS on NG-18 and SpX-27 missions and stored until use. Meniscus tissue was bioprinted using a bioink made of collagen types I and II, chondroitin sulfate, and mesenchymal stem cells. The print showed good shape fidelity compared to Earth-based controls but was less elastic. ^[4]

Meniscus tears and musculoskeletal injuries are widespread in the U.S. military, and the bioprinting study is a step toward developing a better solution on Earth and in space. The prints of tissues are grown both in microgravity and brought back to Earth to continue being analyzed and tested. ^[5]

The BFF-Cardiac study examines the possibility of printing and processing a cardiac tissue sample with the help of fabrication. Heart tissue cannot regenerate; it is usually replaced by scar tissue. This research aims to develop patches and, eventually, full replacement hearts to repair damage. This would solve the existing shortage of transplant organs in the world.

In a study named Bioprint FirstAid, by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the German Space Agency (DLR), a portable handheld bioprinter was capable of preparing custom wound patches usable in space. This printer improved the wound healing process by eliminating issues of immune rejection by the patient based on the use of his or her skin cells. The device has proven to work in microgravity, and researchers are currently comparing the space-printed patches and the Earth-printed patches to inform further progress. ^[5]

Researchers at Stanford launched an experiment with muscle cells grown in labs that were placed in the ISS and found that space fibers were similar to those observed in sarcopenia of the aging body. They also identified promising drug therapies that would help reverse such degeneration. ^[6]

Driving Organizations & Collaborations

Of note, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) have been the benchmark for pioneering experiments in new biotechnologies by utilizing the ISS as the platform. To illustrate, CASIS offers an opportunity to access the waste-free environment of the ISS and conduct stem cell research^[1].

ESA and DLR support the handheld bioprinter initiative. They are targeting wound healing patches. For instance, a report indicates that Bioprint FirstAid was tested by an ESA astronaut, Matthias Maurer, on the ISS during the “Cosmic Kiss” mission to investigate the possibility of treating skin wounds using 3D-printed bioink. The vision was to improve the treatment of wounds both in space and in regular use in medicine on the ground. ^[7]

Technical & Operational Challenges

Operating bioprinters in orbit has some limitations^[2]:

• A significant drawback of the space environment is the harsh conditions for 3D bioprinting. These hostile environments can result in significant failure and unreliable prints.

• Potential constraints on supplies and the necessity to reduce waste require the most efficient and zero-defect bioprinting processes from the very beginning.

• To support non-expert operators, advanced automation, sensorized control, and smart bioreactors with high-level automation are necessary.

Regulatory & Ethical Considerations

• Safety measures: The resumption and construction of bioprinters should feature strict security rules that contain living cells in the spacecraft.

• Intellectual property: So-grown tissues are a new legal grey area in terms of patent rights. Its governance remains a question.

• Human agreement and utilization: The implementation of bio-printed organs presents ethical dilemmas regarding field testing, ownership, and allocation that need new regulatory frameworks.

References

1. Rezapour Sarabi, Misagh, Ali K. Yetisen, and Savas Tasoglu. “Bioprinting in Microgravity.” ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering 9, no. 6 (May 8, 2023): 3074–83. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsbiomaterials.3c00195.

2. Van Ombergen, Angelique, Franziska Chalupa‐Gantner, Parth Chansoria, Bianca Maria Colosimo, Marco Costantini, Marco Domingos, Alexandre Dufour, et al. “3D Bioprinting in Microgravity: Opportunities, Challenges, and Possible Applications in Space.” Advanced Healthcare Materials 12, no. 23 (September 13, 2023): 2300443. https://doi.org/10.1002/adhm.202300443.

3. Moroni, Lorenzo, Kevin Tabury, Hilde Stenuit, Daniela Grimm, Sarah Baatout, and Vladimir Mironov. “What Can Biofabrication Do for Space and What Can Space Do for Biofabrication?” Trends in Biotechnology 40, no. 4 (April 1, 2022): 398–411. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tibtech.2021.08.008.

4. Klarmann, George J., Aaron J. Rogers, Kristin H. Gilchrist, and Vincent B. Ho. “3D Bioprinting Meniscus Tissue Onboard the International Space Station.” Life Sciences in Space Research 43 (November 2024): 82–91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lssr.2024.09.004.

5. “3D Bioprinting - NASA,” December 20, 2023. https://www.nasa.gov/missions/station/iss-research/3d-bioprinting/.

6. News Center. “How Space Became a Place for the Study of Aging.” Accessed June 15, 2025. https://med.stanford.edu/news/insights/2024/09/space-aging-muscle-tissue-stanford-medicine.html

7. “DLR – 3D-Printed Bio-Plaster.” Accessed June 15, 2025. https://www.dlr.de/en/latest/news/2022/01/20220131_3d-printed-bio-plaster.

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