ETH Zurich Researchers 3D-Print Viable Muscle Tissue in Microgravity During Parabolic Flights
- MM24 News Desk
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
ETH Zurich scientists have successfully 3D-printed viable muscle tissue during the brief weightlessness of parabolic flights, a major step toward manufacturing human tissue in orbit to combat the severe muscle deterioration astronauts experience in space. The breakthrough, led by Dr. Parth Chansoria, utilizes a novel gravity-independent printing system to create highly precise biological structures that are impossible to produce on Earth.
Why attempt such a complex procedure high above the Earth? The production of delicate biological structures like muscle tissue is notoriously difficult under normal gravity. The goal is to print tissue that mirrors the intricate, aligned fibers found in the human body. However, gravity is a constant foe, causing the bio-ink—a carrier material mixed with living cells—to collapse, deform, or settle unevenly before it can solidify. This results in less accurate models that are poor substitutes for real human tissue.
The team’s solution was to take their lab to the skies. They developed a new biofabrication system named G-FLight (Gravity-independent Filamented Light), reported ETH Zurich. This system was put to the test during 30 parabolic flight cycles, which create short periods of microgravity. In that weightless environment, the disruptive force of gravity vanishes, allowing the researchers to print muscle fibers with the precise alignment found in the body. This level of accuracy is crucial for creating reliable models to test new drugs or study disease progression.
What were the results of this high-flying experiment? The tissue printed in microgravity showed a similar number of muscle fibers and similar cell viability to tissue printed under normal gravity, according to ETH Zurich. This demonstrates that the process is not only feasible but also produces robust, living constructs. Furthermore, the team’s bio-resin formulation allows for the long-term storage of the cell-loaded material, a critical feature for future practical applications in space where resupply is difficult.
This achievement opens a new frontier for disease research and therapeutic development, both for astronauts and people on Earth. The long-term vision is to use these techniques to produce complex human tissues and organoids aboard the International Space Station. In the unique microgravity environment of space, researchers could create perfect models to study conditions like muscular dystrophy or the muscle atrophy caused by weightlessness itself. These ‘organ models’ provide a system that better reflects the human body’s complexity, allowing for more effective testing of new therapies.
Dr. Parth Chansoria, now an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University, explained the significance: “This is a pivotal step toward making biomanufacturing in space a reality. The ability to produce high-fidelity muscle tissue in microgravity could revolutionize how we study muscle-wasting diseases and develop countermeasures for astronauts on long-duration missions.” This research, published in Advanced Materials Technologies, promises a future where space stations become orbiting laboratories for advanced medical breakthroughs.
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