Characterization of microfeatures in selective laser sintered drug delivery devices

From initial applications in the fields of prosthesis, implants, surgery planning, anthropology, paleontology and forensics, the scope of rapid prototyping (RP) biomedical applications has expanded to include areas in tissue engineering (TE) and controlled drug delivery. In the current investigation, the feasibility of utilizing selective laser sintering (SLS) to fabricate polymeric drug delivery devices (DDDs) that are difficult to make using conventional production methods was studied. Two features, namely porous microstructure and dense wall formation, inherent in SLS fabricated parts were investigated for their potential roles in drug storage and controlling the release of drugs through the diffusion process. A study to determine the influence of key SLS process parameters on dense wall formation and porous microstructure of SLS fabricated parts was carried out. Composite-type DDDs incorporating dense wall and porous matrix features were designed and fabricated using SLS. The characteristics of the fabricated devices were investigated through microstructural examination and in vitro release tests carried out using a drug model or dye in a simulated body environment.