3-dimensional (3D) fabricated polymer based drug delivery systems

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Pharmaceutical Technology
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• 3D drug delivery systems (DDS) are crucial for controlled therapeutic agent release.
• Ensuring drug stability, optimizing drug loading, and achieving desired release kinetics are key challenges.
• Development of scalable and reproducible fabrication machinery is essential for clinical translation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review advancements in fabrication techniques for 3D drug delivery systems (DDS).
• To highlight methods enabling control over drug stability, loading capacity, and release profiles.
• To discuss the application potential of DDS produced via various manufacturing processes.

Main Methods:

• Electrospinning (solution and melt)
• Wet-spinning
• 3-dimensional (3D) printing

Main Results:

• Fabrication techniques allow for DDS production across macro- to nano-scales.
• These methods facilitate the creation of DDS with tunable drug delivery kinetics.
• Progress in machinery development supports simple, reliable, and reproducible DDS manufacturing.

Conclusions:

• Advanced fabrication techniques are vital for developing effective 3D DDS.
• Optimized DDS fabrication ensures drug stability, appropriate loading, and controlled release.
• Continued innovation in manufacturing processes will expand the applications of 3D DDS.