Abstract

You Can Bioprint in Space Now: Redwire’s 3D Bioprinter is Ready Aboard the ISS

Molly Mulligan, Director, Business Development, Redwire

Have you ever wondered what happens when we remove gravity from our biological processes? In low Earth orbit (LEO), 400 kilometers above our heads, is the International Space Station (ISS), an orbiting research facility that provides a proving ground for innovation and next generation technology. The ISS is open for bioprinting utilizing the unique environment of microgravity. Biological systems studied in microgravity are dominated by surface tension and diffusion rather than sedimentation and convection. In the microgravity environment on the station: cells form 3D structure without the use of a scaffolding or matrix; we can print larger 3D tissue constructs without the tissue collapsing under its own weight before strengthening; we can study the mechanisms involved in biofabrication; and much more. Learning how forces other than gravity affect the process of biofabrication can help us learn new things about our processes on Earth and allows us to find ways to minimize those forces to create new and innovative products on Earth. Redwire Corporation enables bioprinting and biofabrication in microgravity, where there are unique solutions to many problems in the laboratory and lots of room for innovation. The company has the only extrusion-based 3D bioprinter on the ISS, called the Biofabrication Facility (BFF). Redwire seeks to understand what the latest technology breakthroughs are terrestrially, so that microgravity can be used to create even more innovation in the fields of bioprinting and biofabrication. As always, the ISS is open for research from around the world, and Redwire is eager to collaborate.