MOSCOW, March 4. /TASS/. E. Coli bacteria, printed at the International Space Station using the Organ-Avt 3D bioprinter, has become resistant to antibiotics. According to 3D Bioprinting Solutions, a company that developed the Organ-Avt 3D bioprinter, this experiment might allow learning how to fight antibiotic-resistant diseases.

The E. Coli bacteria have been printed at the orbital station in September 2019, and then delivered to Earth in airtight containers aboard the Soyuz spacecraft. In October, the specimen were transported to the Gamalei Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, where specialists researched them.

In particular, the researchers tested on how resistant to antibiotics the E. Coli bacteria has become in space.

"Morphological analysis complete. The bacteria has become resistant to antibiotics," the company reported.

The company notes that experiments on printing bacteria in space should allow researchers to come up with new types of antibiotics to cure antibiotic-resistant chronic diseases back on Earth - and, probably, new diseases found in space.

During the experiment at the ISS, E. Coli bacteria assembled into membranes, which on Earth occurs in chronic bronchitis cases. Traditional antibiotic therapy of such chronic diseases yields no results.

The company added that ISS experiments posed no threat to spacemen’s health, since containers for bacteria are airtight, and all operations were conducted in sealed glovebox.

Bio printer

The Organ-Avt bioprinter has been delivered to the ISS in late 2018. Using this printer, cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko conducted the first ever experiment on growing human cartilage tissue and mouse thyroid in space. Three-dimensional bioprinting happens inside special containers using the special cellular material.