ISS Crew 3D-Prints Blood Vessels and Grows Brain Tissue in Space

The Expedition 75 crew aboard the International Space Station is carrying out a remarkable series of biomedical experiments this week, making use of microgravity conditions that are impossible to replicate on Earth. NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins has set up equipment in the Columbus laboratory module to 3D-print blood vessels using cells from patients with progeria, a rare genetic disorder that causes rapid ageing, with scientists hoping that observations made in space could point toward new therapies for the condition. Separately, Luke Delaney is testing a portable biological sampling device designed to analyse crew health samples directly in orbit, rather than shipping them back to Earth, enabling far quicker health diagnostics for astronauts on long-duration missions. These experiments complement a broader package of scientific cargo delivered by the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft that arrived at the station earlier in October, which included tiny three-dimensional brain organoid models grown from human cells for neurological disease research, 3D heart-tissue models for drug testing, and equipment for manufacturing artificial retinas in microgravity. Researchers believe that the absence of gravity allows biological structures to form in ways not achievable on Earth, potentially accelerating discoveries in treatments for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, heart disease, and blindness. The Dragon is expected to return the time-sensitive biological samples to Earth in mid-November 2026.