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The next phase of a mission sponsored by NASA for the 3D printing of human organs and tissues in space will be launched in February 2019. A 3D biofabrication facility [19659002] (BFF) developed by nScrypt and Techshot Station (ISS) will be part of the cargo of SpaceX CRS-17
3D printing in zero gravity
nScrypt is based in Orlando, Florida and is a manufacturer of industrial micro-distribution and 3D printing systems. The company is descended from Sciperio Inc. which, under a DARPA contact, developed an award-winning bioprinter in 2003.
Based in Greenville, Indiana, Techshot has nearly three decades of experience in the development of space flight equipment. Techshot Co-Founder's first project, President and CEO John C. Vellinger, who earned his spot on NASA's mission, was a payload sponsored by KFC. The experiment aimed to investigate how microgravity in space affects the growth of chicken embryos. Tragically, the project "Chix in Space" was loaded on the unfortunate Challenger.
Since then Techshot has become a company employing about 50 people. Techshot payloads and space equipment flew on sub-orbital rockets, space shuttles and the SpaceX Dragon Cargo. As we reported in June 2016, Techshot and nScrypt successfully completed a zero G flight over the Gulf of Mexico . Flying in a Zero Gravity Corporation aircraft, the test demonstrated that a heart structure could be printed in 3D in zero gravity
3D printing a heart patch in the space
CEO John C. Vellinger said, We are very excited to see this project, and all that it can bring, come to life. With the goal of producing everything from organs, to pharmaceuticals, maybe even to food, the BFF has the ability to improve the lives of people on earth and to help them. deep space exploration. "
nScrypt 3D Bio Assembly Tool (BAT) and Techshot's Advanced Space Experiment Processor ( ADSEP ).
The nScrypt BAT 3D printer uses a patented SmartPump that gives a 100 picoliter volumetric control and can work with nozzles as small as 10 microns.Using a bioink, the nScrypt BAT allows the cellular printing necessary for the development of thick tissues and organs that NASA hopes someday to be part of the rescue equipment.
NScrypt's CEO, Ken Church, said: "Especially when it's about something as important as a fabric, it's essential to put the right amount of material into it." the right position each time. This is what our machines offer and what has contributed to our success in bioprinting as well as in other applications. "
" This is an exciting time for discovery and most importantly a moment of impact for those who are seriously seeking vascularized tissue solutions, which is the basis for a fully printed organ. "
Once installed on the ISS, the BFF will be used to 3D print a heart patch for damaged hearts." NScrypt explains, "To make the cardiac patch, the cells will be printed in the bioreactor cassette. The bioreactor will then provide the media infusion to provide nutrients and remove toxins from the tissue and keep it alive, while also providing an electrical and mechanical stimulus to encourage the cells to become the beating heart tissue. "
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The featured image shows the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and the vertical Dragon capsule at the dashboard. Photo through NASA.
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