Scientists 3D print human muscle tissue in zero gravity environment

Researchers at ETH Zurich, led by Dr. Parth Chansoria, have successfully 3D printed human muscle tissue in microgravity conditions simulated via parabolic flights. This breakthrough addresses a major challenge in bioprinting on Earth, where gravity causes bio-inks—mixtures of living cells and carrier substances—to collapse or deform before solidifying, resulting in less accurate tissue structures. In weightlessness, the printed muscle fibers maintain their natural alignment and cell distribution, closely replicating human muscle tissue. This precision is critical for creating reliable tissue models for drug testing and disease study. To achieve this, the team developed a novel bioprinting system called G-FLight (Gravity-independent Filamented Light), capable of producing viable muscle constructs within seconds during short microgravity phases. The muscle samples printed in these conditions showed comparable cell viability and fiber density to those printed under normal gravity, with the added advantage of enabling long-term storage of cell-loaded bio-resins—an important factor for future space