KENNEDY SPACE, Fla., March 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — The knee is not only one of the largest and most complex joints in the body—it is also easily injured. One of the most common orthopedic injuries, the tearing or fracturing of the meniscus (a portion of cartilage located in the knee that is half moon-shaped), is quite common. Two menisci allow each knee to move freely. The current treatments for a torn Meniscus include removing or repairing the damaged segment. This can increase the risk of developing arthritis or require replacement of the knee. To improve patient care on Earth and develop more effective ways of treating torn tissues, researchers from Redwire Space are turning to the microgravity environment of the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory.
Redwire’s upgraded BioFabrication Facility (or BFF) launched to the space station in November. The BFF has been installed and is now ready to print. Its first task is to produce a 3D printed full-size human meniscus. SpaceX’s 27th anniversary will see the launch of supplies.Th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS mission): The meniscus tissue will first be printed on station, and then returned to Earth to analyze. Because of gravity’s influence on terrestrial printing, it is difficult to print soft tissues. Redwire will therefore send its bioprinter into space.
“The BFF could be a game-changing technology with significant implications for the future human health and patient treatment on Earth,” said Dr. Rich BolingRedwire vice-president. “Printed tissues could be used not only to implant patients, but also as models for drug discovery and testing therapeutics.
The investigation to print a full human meniscus will build on previous research from 2019, when the BFF printed cardiac tissue and a partial meniscus. The next iteration will use an upgraded BFF, which allows for greater temperature control and an upgraded imaging system to allow the team to better control the prints.
Boling says that the meniscus is a great tissue to begin with because so many people have suffered knee injuries. It also serves as a test tissue for the BFF. He said that the meniscus is ideal because it has no blood vessels. This is what prevents large-scale 3D printing. It’s so right that when you print it you are already closer to human tissue then if you were trying to print a whole heart.
Boling claims that this gives Redwire the opportunity to continually improve its printing system. This will allow Redwire to achieve its ultimate goal of printing whole organs in space. Although that goal is unlikely to be reached for many years, BFF could prove useful in drug efficacy testing. It can be used to produce and culture organoids that resemble human organs, but they are artificially created. These organoids can be used by researchers to test new drugs.
SpaceX CRS27 will be launched no later than April 2007. March 14 At 8:30p.m. 8:30 p.m.. This mission will have more than 15 ISS National Lab-sponsored payloads. Visit our launch page to learn more about the ISS National Lab-sponsored research for this mission.
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National Laboratory:
The International Space Station is a unique laboratory that enables technology development and research not possible on Earth. The ISS National Lab, a public enterprise, allows researchers to make use of this multiuser facility in order to improve Earth’s life, to develop space-based business models and science literacy for the future workforce. It also helps to create a sustainable and scalable market for low Earth orbit. The ISS National Laboratory orbiting on the Moon provides resources for non-NASA science technology and education projects from U.S. government institutions, academia, and the private sector. The ISS National Lab is managed and maintained by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space. It is a cooperative agreement with NASA. You can learn more about the ISS National Lab by visiting www.ISSNationalLab.org.
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