A Cryopreservation‐Based Supply Chain Strategy for Extrusion Bioprinting in Space

ABSTRACT

Extrusion bioprinting is a promising tool for autonomous medical care and biomanufacturing during long‐duration crewed space missions. However, the implementation of this technology depends on how cell‐laden bioinks can be brought to the space platform without compromising their biological functionality. In this study, a supply chain solution is introduced in which cells and acellular biomaterial ink are transported separately (cells as cryopreserved vials at −80°C and the ink at 4°C) and are combined into the final bioink minutes before printing. This cryo‐based bioink approach is validated against a freshly prepared reference bioink and a premixed, cold‐stored bioink using a parabolic flight campaign, including the logistic chain of road transport to the flight site, crew‐level preparation in Bordeaux, in‐flight printing during microgravity, and post‐flight sample return to Dresden for cultivation. Human dermal fibroblasts printed with the cryo‐based bioink reach viabilities above 90%, comparable to the reference group. In contrast, the viability of the cells printed from cold‐stored bioink declined and with no detectable cells at the final cultivation time point. Our results show that decoupling cells and biomaterial ink through cryopreservation preserves biological functionality and enables a scalable bioink supply chain using infrastructure available on crewed space platforms.