The Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM) is sending an investigation to the International Space Station (ISS) to explore how 3D bioprinted liver tissue constructs complete with vascular channels behave in microgravity. The project, sponsored by the ISS National Laboratory, is set to launch on SpaceX's 33rd Commercial Resupply Services mission, contracted by NASA. 

Bioprinting allows scientists to create intricate 3D structures using living human cells to build functional replicas of human tissues and organs. These engineered tissues can be used to study disease or to repair tissues impaired by disease, injury, or natural aging. In this case, the focus is the liver, a vital organ with complex vascular networks. WFIRM researchers have successfully engineered liver tissue constructs with vascular channels that remain functional for 30 days in labs on Earth. However, on Earth, maintaining large, thick bioprinted tissue constructs poses challenges due to limitations in our ability to construct vascularized tissue. With limited vascularization, engineered tissues are limited in their ability to obtain oxygen and nutrients while removing metabolic wastes. Over time, the engineered tissues lose viability and function.

Microgravity may cause changes in cell distribution, behavior, and adherence properties. These changes could provide insight into how to manufacture better, longer-lasting tissues for disease research and treating patients on Earth. The experiment aims to determine whether microgravity alters cell behavior, potentially improving tissue development and maturation, by utilizing Redwire Space's Multi-Use Variable-Gravity Platform (MVP) facility. The successful completion of this experiment could advance tissue engineering on Earth and further set the stage for biomanufactured tissue and organs grown in space for transplantation, said James Yoo, a professor at WFIRM leading the investigation. 

"This collaborative investigation has the potential to yield remarkable results," said Yoo. "By leveraging bioprinting technologies, we've created gel-like frameworks with channels for oxygen and nutrient flow that mimic natural blood vessels, opening up new possibilities for medical treatments both on Earth and in space." Two teams of researchers and students from WFIRM—Team Winston and Team WFIRM—used 3D printing technologies to create their tissue constructs as part of NASA's Vascular Tissue Challenge, a prize competition aimed at accelerating tissue engineering innovations to benefit space exploration and people on Earth by improving regenerative medicine technologies. The teams won prizes totaling $400,000 in research funding as a result of their technology demonstration on Earth, and both teams will have the opportunity to test their innovations on the space station. Team Winston will be the first team to take their innovation to space.

For this investigation, Team Winston will assess tissue development and functionality of liver and vascular cells within the construct, considering microgravity's impact on cell characteristics. For example, the team will examine whether vascular cells correctly form a lining in the blood vessel walls within the liver construct.

The Vascular Tissue Challenge is part of NASA's Centennial Challenges program in the Space Technology Mission Directorate. The Methuselah Foundation's New Organ Alliance organized the competition for NASA and assembled a nine-member judging panel focused on regenerative medicine research with support from experts at NASA, the National Institute of Health, the ISS National Lab, and leading academic researchers.

"Our mission at the Methuselah Foundation involves advancing human longevity through regenerative medicine," said David Gobel, co-founder and chief executive officer of the Methuselah Foundation. "By collaborating with NASA and the ISS National Lab to accelerate innovation, we're not only improving human health on Earth but also preparing for the challenges of space exploration and bolstering the future space industry."

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