Redwire is launching an investigation into the International Space Station (ISS) that will analyze the effects of microgravity on tissue bioprinting and culturing. As part of the MVP Cell-07 investigation, conducted in partnership with the Wake Forest Institute of Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM), Redwire will culture 36 bioprinted vascularized liver tissue constructs using its Multi-Use Variable-Gravity Platform (MVP) on the ISS to provide insight into whether tissue bioprinted on Earth can properly form functioning blood vessels in microgravity.
WFIRM’s liver tissue experiments are being conducted with support from the ISS National Laboratory as part of NASA’s Vascular Tissue Challenge. For Cell-07, originally set to launch last year, Redwire is flying new tissue samples to the ISS. Insights gleaned from the investigation could help improve bioprinting techniques with human tissue samples, with the goal of eventually bioprinting full-scale organs and addressing the world’s organ shortage. Redwire has made significant progress on its own space biotech initiatives, successfully bioprinting a human knee meniscus and heart tissue samples in space with its 3D BioFabrication Facility payload.
To support the investigation, Redwire developed a portable power unit to transport the live tissue to space. This new technology will keep the Redwire MVP modules powered on their journey to the ISS, enabling the culturing and maintenance of live cells inside the cargo spacecraft. This is a valuable asset for researchers wanting to transport live tissue to the ISS in order to study the effects of microgravity, a capability previously unavailable.
Once the tissue arrives at the ISS, the crew will install the 12 modules into the MVP payload for culturing. Conducted over 30 days, the experiment will give researchers an unprecedented, time-lapse view of the vascularization process in microgravity. Following operations, the tissues will return to Earth for further analysis. They will be preserved with two different methods, enabling WFIRM researchers to conduct both genomic and proteomic analyses. Cell-07 is launching on Sunday, August 24, at 2:45 a.m. EDT on NASA’s SpaceX 33rd Commercial Resupply Mission to the ISS.
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