Abstract
Microgravity significantly impacts astronaut physiology, causing accelerated bone loss and impairing bone regeneration. As human space exploration expands, effective and minimally invasive bone repair treatments are crucial. In this study, we investigated the regenerative potential of a novel mineral-organic bone adhesive, Tetranite® (TN), compared to the osteoinductive rhBMP2 (Infuse®). We used a critical-size calvarial bone defect model in mice, with half launched on a 60-day mission to the International Space Station and the other half serving as ground controls. Histological and quantitative micro-computed tomography (MicroCT) analyses confirmed that both TN and rhBMP2 promoted bone regeneration in both spaceflight and ground conditions. While both biomaterials were effective, TN’s regenerative effect was more localized to the defect site. Our findings demonstrate that TN implantation effectively promotes calvarial bone regeneration under both microgravity and terrestrial conditions. This suggests its potential as a minimally invasive clinical solution for treating bone fractures during future space missions and on Earth.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank CASIS, especially Liz Warren for her initial contribution to the preparation of the research plans, and Kristin Kopperud for her significant contribution to the entire project and for her constant support throughout its duration. In addition, we would like to thank the personnel of Leidos (Kim D. Heitzman, Cole Nelson, Marcello Caporicci, Matthew Trisnadi, Ethan Baseden) for their help with the implementation of the study, and Mellodee M. White, the NASA Research Portfolio Manager of the project, for providing support and assistance for the study. We also thank the personnel of Roskamp Institute in Sarasota, FL (Steven Ortiz, Scott Ferguson, Alexandra Goldring), all the veterinarians that supervised the well-being of the animals involved in this study (Howard Small, Joanna Maza, Russell G. Higbee, Chad D. Foster), and the members of the IACUC who helped defining the conditions for the success of this animal study. Special thanks to Louis Stodieck from University of Colorado for providing the TPK bags for tissue collections and to the astronauts on board the ISS who helped executing the experiments in space. Finally, we thank Derek Blankenship (President & Founder, DB Analytics, LLC, Dallas, TX) for providing statistical analysis/data verification and the University Instrumentation Center at the University of New Hampshire (Shawn Banker and Nancy Cherim) for their assistance with the MicroCT scans. Research reported in this work was supported by the International Space Station National Laboratory under Grant agreement # GA-2020-0983 to RevBio Inc. and to Giuseppe Intini.
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U.M., S.B., M.C.B., B.J.H., and G.W.K. are employees of RevBio Inc. S.B., M.C.B., B.J.H., and G.W.K. own stock or stock options of RevBio Inc. M.C.B., B.J.H., and G.W.K. are cofounders of RevBio Inc. D.W.V. received research grant funding from RevBio Inc. G.I. received research funding from RevBio Inc. under CASIS/International Space Station National Laboratory grant agreement # GA-2020-0983.
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Di Carlo, R., Mhate, U., Mancinelli, L. et al. A novel mineral-organic bone adhesive promotes calvarial bone regeneration in microgravity conditions. npj Microgravity (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41526-026-00606-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41526-026-00606-z
