Wake Forest regenerative medicine research set on ISS

Axiom Space, which is developing the first commercial space station, and the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine announced Monday that they will send the first bioprinted solid tissue constructs to the International Space Station.

According to Cellink.com, bioprinting is “an additive manufacturing process similar to 3D printing that uses a digital file as a blueprint to print an object layer by layer.”

“But unlike 3D printing, bioprinters print cells and biomaterials to create organ-like structures in which living cells grow. It has great potential to benefit industries such as chemical medicine, drug discovery and cosmetics.”

Axiom will fly the fully private astronaut mission Ax-2 to the ISS in low earth orbit. The mission will launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The crew will conduct a wide range of scientific research experiments, including WFIRM’s angiogenesis studies involving liver and kidney tissue constructs, the group said.

This tissue will be studied for 10 days to evaluate thick tissue vascularization under microgravity and the efficacy of this platform technology for other tissue types.

“This announcement marks an important next step for regenerative medicine research related to vascularized tissue,” said Dr. Anthony Atala, Director of WFIRM, in a statement.

“This is an opportunity to address organ shortages by developing intermediate or early steps to create solid tissue/organ pieces for future transplantation into patients.”

This research is one of the first results of the collaboration between WFIRM and Axiom, announced in April 2022.

WFIRM officials describe the partnership as “the next frontier” in research and manufacturing.

Previous work on the ISS with cells in low-Earth orbit has involved both 2D and small 3D cultures.

These previous experiments show that cells exposed to microgravity undergo both genetic and functional changes, such as increased motility and proliferation.

Studying these larger tissue structures under microgravity will reveal not only how liver/kidney cells respond, but also how the endothelial coating of vascular cells responds to the altered atmosphere. Useful for providing information to researchers.

One of the most important factors in developing larger organ models is cell adhesion. This allows cells to attach to each other and to the material in which they are embedded, forming multidimensional structures such as organoids and intact tissues.

This model enables WFIRM researchers to delve into the details of cell adhesion when determining the global 3D structure required for organ survival.

In preparation for launch, liver and kidney tissue constructs will be bioprinted separately.

To aid tissue maturation, samples are placed in a fluidized state and exposed to perfusion medium continuously for 5 or 10 days prior to injection. They are then placed in transparent cell culture vessels that provide a closed system for growing cells in orbit.

While research is conducted on the ISS, WFIRM researchers will monitor a duplicate set of samples on Earth. These will act as gravity controllers and go through the same process as the ISS.

The same activity timeline can be applied to the WFIRM Lab control structure, as the team will communicate during mission operations taking place on the ISS.

Axiom is working with RegenMed Development Organization (branded as ReMDO), a tenant of the Innovation Quarter based in Bailey Power Station. We are focused on driving scale-up and automation of manufacturing in regenerative medicine.

Axiom co-founder and president, Michael Suffredini, is a former NASA space station program manager.

Components of the Axiom Space Station are built about 400 miles above Earth. The Associated Press reported on April 8 that Axiom plans to add its own room to the ISS in 2024.

Ultimately, it is planned to replace the International Space Station, which NASA plans to decommission in 2031.

Axiom predicts it won’t be until 2029 before the compartments can be detached to form a self-contained station, but the Associated Press reports that several commercial outposts intended to replace space stations have been built. It is said that there is one.