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Smartphone-enabled 3D printing of medicines
Xiaoyan Xu1, Alejandro Seijo-Rabina2, Atheer Awad1
1Department of Pharmaceutics, UCL School of Pharmacy, University College London, 29-39 Brunswick Square, London WC1N 1AX, UK.
International Journal of Pharmaceutics
|October 21, 2021
Summary
Researchers developed a smartphone-controlled 3D printer for personalized medicine manufacturing. This portable device uses a smartphone screen to create customized dosage forms, enabling point-of-care medicine production.
Area of Science:
- Pharmaceutical Technology
- Additive Manufacturing
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- 3D printing is revolutionizing personalized medicine fabrication.
- Current 3D printers for medicines are large, require expert operation, and are confined to pharmaceutical settings.
- Portable, user-friendly systems are needed for point-of-care medicine manufacturing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a compact, smartphone-operated 3D printer for point-of-care personalized medication fabrication.
- To demonstrate the feasibility of using smartphone light for stereolithographic 3D printing of drug dosage forms.
- To create patient-centered dosage form shapes and assess drug release characteristics.
Main Methods:
- Development of a stereolithography-based 3D printer controlled by a mobile smartphone.
- Utilization of smartphone screen light for photopolymerization of liquid resins.
- Design of a custom smartphone app for controlling printed dosage form shape and size.
- Fabrication of warfarin-loaded Printlets (3D printed tablets) in various shapes and sizes.
- Analysis of drug form (amorphous) and in vitro drug release profiles.
Main Results:
- Successful development of a portable, smartphone-operated 3D printer.
- High-resolution printing of warfarin-loaded Printlets with excellent dimensional precision.
- Demonstration of printing diverse patient-centered shapes including caplets, geometric forms, and gyroid lattices.
- Warfarin was incorporated in an amorphous state, exhibiting sustained release characteristics.
- The system proved user-friendly and capable of interconnected operation.
Conclusions:
- The developed smartphone-based 3D printer represents a significant advancement in point-of-care personalized medicine manufacturing.
- This technology offers a compact, user-friendly, and versatile platform for fabricating customized dosage forms.
- The system holds promise for future applications in decentralized pharmaceutical production and personalized patient treatment.
