Pioneering Space Bioprinting: Redwire Space Prints Human Knee Cartilage Aboard ISS

In a significant scientific breakthrough, Redwire Space has 'printed' a human knee meniscus aboard the International Space Station (ISS), marking the first time such a feat has been accomplished. This development holds promise for aiding those on Earth recovering from meniscus injuries.

“Demonstrating the ability to print complex tissue such as this meniscus successfully is a major leap toward developing a repeatable microgravity manufacturing process for reliable bioprinting at scale.” - John Bellinger, Redwire executive vice president.

Red Wire's BioFabrication Facility and the Meniscus Project

The human meniscus cartilage was printed using Redwire's BioFabrication Facility (BFF) on the ISS. The project, aptly named BFF-Meniscus-2, saw the meniscus printed with living human cells, after which it was transferred to Redwire's Advanced Space Experiment Processor for a 14-day enculturation process. After this, the meniscus was carefully packaged and returned to Earth aboard SpaceX’s Crew-6 mission.

NASA astronauts Frank Rubio, Warren Hoburg, Stephen Bowen, and UAE astronaut Sultan Al-Neyadi were responsible for conducting this groundbreaking investigation.

Partnership with Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences Center for Biotechnology

Redwire partnered with the biomedical research center Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences Center for Biotechnology as part of the experiment. The institute is known for researching therapies that could assist warfighters, with meniscus injuries among the most common orthopedic issues U.S. service members face.

Red Wire's Push into Biotechnology

Recently, Redwire Space has made great strides in the field of biotechnology. During the summer, the company announced its plan to open a 30,000-square-foot research park in Indiana. Biotech and microgravity will be the primary focus of this park. Furthermore, Redwire has ambitious plans for bioprinting and microgravity research in space. As part of a SpaceX Commercial Resupply mission to the ISS scheduled for November, Redwire plans to launch payloads dedicated to pharmaceutical drug development in microgravity and an experiment to print cardiac tissue. Redwire's innovative biotech and in-space manufacturing technology will also be integrated into Sierra Space's Large Integrated Flexible Environment (LIFE) space station module. This is part of an agreement between the two companies. LIFE will be part of Orbital Reef, a private space station developed by Blue Origin, Boeing, and others.