A bioprinter will be tested on the ISS to create bandages from the skin of astronauts
Astronauts of the International Space Station (ISS) will test the Bioprint FirstAid device, which allows you to create organic bandages. This is reported on the NASA website .
The Bioprint FirstAid portable device is designed for the manufacture of bandages on board the ISS. The bioprinter prints bandages based on human skin cells and special biological inks. The components are mixed, resulting in a plaster-like coating that can be applied to the wound.
According to scientists, in the absence of gravity, bandages and other means for dressing wounds may be ineffective. FirstAid operates in manual mode and does not need charging. "The use of bioprinting for skin reconstruction after burns is one of the directions that has been developing in recent years," NASA said in a statement.
The test prototype will not contain real skin cells. However, astronauts will be able to check the convenience of manufacturing the material and the strength of the resulting organic bandages. "To demonstrate, a gel simulator will be applied to the limb of a crew member wrapped in foil," the experts noted. Based on the experiment, the effectiveness of the new method of wound treatment will be evaluated.
Bioprint FirstAid was sent to the ISS on a SpaceX spacecraft at the end of 2021.
At the end of November, the chairman of the State Duma Committee on Agrarian Issues, Vladimir Kashin, called the idea of Roscosmos CEO Dmitry Rogozin to grow plants in orbit nonsense. Earlier, Rogozin said that the experiment could be carried out using a 3D bioprinter.
