July 9 : A biotechnology company says it has successfully used its 3D bioprinter aboard the International Space Station to manufacture structures containing human liver, kidney and cartilage cells, a step it believes could eventually aid production of transplantable tissues in orbit.San Diego-based Auxilium Biotechnologies said a recently completed mission marked the first time liver and kidney tissues have been bioprinted in space. The work was conducted using cells supplied by researchers at Wake Forest University, according to Auxilium co-founder Jacob Koffler of the University of California, San Diego. The experiments focused on an obstacle that has challenged tissue engineers on Earth: controlling the precise distribution of cells within a three-dimensional structure. If certain types