Biofabrication of cellular structures using weightlessness as a biotechnological tool

Abstract

Gravity is an important biomechanical signal effecting the morphology and function of organisms. Reduction of gravitational forces, as experienced during spaceflight, cause alterations in the biological systems. Magnetic levitation technique is one of the most recent ground-based technology to mimic weightlessness environment. In addition to providing a platform to investigate biological effects of the weightlessness, this platform presents a novel opportunity to biofabricate 3-dimensional (3D) structures in a scaffold-and nozzle-free fashion. In this study, various controllable self-assembled 3D living structures were fabricated via magnetic levitation technique. This strategy may offer an easy and cost-effective opportunity for a wide range of space biotechnology researches.