Scientists create liver and kidney tissues in space for the first time
Researchers successfully manufactured liver, kidney, and cartilage tissues in a microgravity environment aboard the International Space Station. This mission demonstrates the potential for space-based biomanufacturing to advance regenerative medicine.
Why it matters
Space-based bioprinting could overcome gravity-related limitations on Earth, potentially leading to breakthroughs in organ transplantation and tissue repair.
The biological landscape is no longer just limited to the earthly realms, it has travelled far and wide into space. In a one-of-a-kind biological manufacturing operation, researchers managed to cultivate organs in space using technologies that are now being tested for scalability.Mission for biomanufacturingThe mission was conducted in June 2026 and concluded with the safe return of materials to Earth via a SpaceX Dragon capsule on June 17. It marked the first time liver and kidney tissues were produced in a microgravity environment. Previously, other bioprinting experiments have also been conducted aboard the ISS. For example, in 2018, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko tested a machine called the "Bioprinter Organ. Aut," which successfully assembled cartilage cells using a magnetic field.But unlike previous efforts conducted on the ISS, this year's operation was aimed at diverse production.
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