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Microgravity provides a unique environment for advancing tissue engineering and biofabrication by eliminating gravitational constraints such as sedimentation, buoyancy, and hydrostatic pressure gradients. These conditions enable 3D bioprinting of tissue and organ constructs of more complex geometries in three dimensions, offering structural and functional fidelity that is difficult to achieve on Earth.
PULSE aims to revolutionize bioprinting in Space, uniting a consortium of eight organizations with funding from the European Innovation Council, to develop a novel levitation-based bioprinting system that combines acoustic and magnetic fields to position and fuse cellular spheroids into complex tissue constructs. This system will be able to precisely position biological materials, enabling the fabrication of complex, multi-tissue constructs that closely replicate the architecture and function of natural tissues and organs.
The project’s first application will be to bioprint a 3D cardiac in vitro model that mirrors the physiology and behavior of the human heart. A high-fidelity model can deepen our understanding of the heart, contribute to developing treatments against cardiovascular diseases, and reduce reliance on animal testing by offering a more relevant human analogue.
In addition to Earth-based benefits, PULSE has significant implications for the future of space travel. By studying this cardiac model in the space environment, researchers will evaluate how the heart functions when exposed to microgravity and cosmic radiation. This research could help guide the management of astronaut health risks during long-duration space missions, enhance radiotherapy strategies to mitigate radiation damage in cancer patients, and offer new insights into the biological mechanisms of ageing.
With its unique levitation technology in low Earth orbit, PULSE’s novel platform will serve as a tool for in-orbit bioprinting and life-science research into organoids.
By bridging advanced bioprinting technologies with the unique advantages of microgravity, PULSE represents a major step toward the future of personalized medicine and regenerative therapies, both on Earth and in space. The system will undergo in-orbit validation aboard the International Space Station in 2027, with the payload hosted in the ICE Cubes Facility. This mission will demonstrate the platform’s capabilities under real spaceflight conditions, paving the way for new biomedical applications and autonomous healthcare solutions for future space exploration.
To learn more about the project and its mission to advance space-based bioprinting, visit the PULSE website. There you’ll find information about the research goals, the novel technology and its future applications, as well as roles of the consortium partners in driving this innovation forward. The site also offers regular updates on the project’s progress and its broader impact on regenerative medicine, both on Earth and in orbit.
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