User-designed device with programmable release profile for localized treatment.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Three-dimensional printing (3DP) offers precise manufacturing of customizable drug delivery systems for personalized medicine.
• Challenges persist in achieving patient-specific dosing schedules with local drug delivery systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a user-designed, implantable device capable of personalized drug release kinetics through microscale structural programming.
• To demonstrate the device's ability to implement varied release profiles for treatments like dose-dense and combination therapies.

Main Methods:

• A user-designed, implantable device was fabricated using 3D printing with programmable internal structures.
• The device's drug release kinetics were controlled by adjusting dosage, drug combinations, and release parameters (rate, duration, timing).
• In vitro, in vivo, and pharmacokinetic evaluations were conducted after implanting the device in mice.

Main Results:

• The developed device successfully achieved personalized drug release kinetics.
• Local doxorubicin release demonstrated therapeutic efficacy in vivo.
• Pharmacokinetic studies confirmed predictable drug release profiles.

Conclusions:

• The user-designed 3D-printed device offers a novel platform for next-generation drug delivery systems.
• This technology advances personalized and localized therapeutic strategies.
• The device enables precise control over drug release for tailored patient treatment.