Auxilium Biotechnologies has created multiple types of organ tissues aboard the ISS, marking a milestone when it comes to the scalability and future use cases for bioprinting in orbit.
The company’s AMP-1 system 3D-printed liver and kidney tissue—the first time tissue for both of those organs has been manufactured in space, according to the company. In addition, the company printed cartilage tissue and more than two dozen nerve-repair implants.
Multitask: Auxilium CEO Jacob Koffler said the “biggest milestone” of the history-making mission is demonstrating that one machine can generate multiple different types of tissues, because it opens the door for an in-space bio manufacturing industry that can scale and pivot as needed to meet demands.
The company’s 3D printer is loaded up with a cartridge, which contains a specific kind of bioink. Making a different type of tissue is as simple as switching the cartridge, which can be stored in space for at least six months, Koffler said.
“That’s how this system is versatile,” he said. “You can send or load whatever you want into the cartridge, and then print it.”
Zero-G benefits: Manufacturing tissues in space offers two benefits compared with terrestrial operations, Koffler said:
- The lack of gravity means that cells form into the correct structure, rather than just collapsing.
- Biology moves faster in space. That means stem cells that are printed into organs more quickly mature and differentiate to become usable organ tissue.
What’s next: In addition to helping people on Earth once the tech goes through the lengthy medical-trial and FDA-approval process, Koffler also said he expects bioprinting to play a critical role treating astronauts during long duration lunar or Mars missions.
“You can send a library of cartridges with various drugs. Then, if you have an astronaut on the Moon who has a specific injury or a specific thing that needs this drug, you can take it out [and] print it,” he said. “You really have the capability to respond to medical emergencies in space.”
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