The development by scientists from the A.A. Baikov Institute of Metallurgy and Materials Science (IMET) of the Russian Academy of Sciences has been included in NASA's annual report on scientific results on the International Space Station for 2025. The study, supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation, is dedicated to creating three-dimensional analogues of bone tissue directly in orbit. This is the first successful synthesis of bone material in microgravity conditions in the world.
The experiment was conducted as part of the "Magnetic 3D Bioprinter" project on the Russian segment of the ISS. Cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka collected samples using a magnetic bioassembler, which forms tissue from individual molecules under the action of magnetic fields. Calcium phosphate powder, a substance similar in composition to the mineral component of bone, was placed in the setup. Within two days, samples approximately 5 millimeters in size grew both in orbit and on Earth.
After returning to Earth, IMET RAS scientists studied the microstructure of the samples. The material grown in weightlessness has a more ordered crystal lattice than its terrestrial counterpart. Crystals grew at the same rate in all directions, whereas on Earth, gravity hindered this process. This opens up prospects for creating implants that integrate better into the body.
The effectiveness of "space" implants was tested on laboratory rats with skull defects. Three months after implantation, the difference became obvious. Terrestrial samples yielded only thin rims of new bone, while wide areas of restored tissue formed around the space-grown ones. Project leader Vladimir Komlev emphasized that the development can be applied both for terrestrial medicine and for treating injuries in long-duration space missions.
NASA's recognition, according to the researchers, confirms the leading position of Russian science in materials science and biomedicine. In 2025, more than 750 studies were conducted on the ISS. The work of Russian scientists took a worthy place in the annual report.