Space Stations

Testing Bioprint First Aid On the International Space Station

By Keith Cowing
Press Release
January 31, 2022
Filed under , ,
Testing Bioprint First Aid On the International Space Station
Bioprint First Aid
ESA

ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer testing the Bioprint FirstAid experiment by German Aerospace Center, DLR.
He posted this image to his social channels on 31 January 2022 with the caption: Could astronauts print plasters from their own skin cells? We’re not quite there yet, but I recently supported German Aerospace Center, DLR Bioprint FirstAid experiment on the International Space Station. This “plaster gun” is a bio-3D printer that produces a plaster-like covering for skin wounds from bio-ink. At this stage the ink is made from fluorescent microparticles rather than skin cells, but the goal is to use this technology not only in space, but also to provide personalised wound care for patients on the ground.

ID: iss066e127288
Credit: ESA/NASA-M.Maurer
Larger image

SpaceRef co-founder, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA, Away Teams, Journalist, Space & Astrobiology, Lapsed climber.