Additive manufacturing strategies for personalized drug delivery systems and medical devices

Abstract

Medical additive manufacturing (MAM), 3D printing, or fused deposition modeling is considered a synonym for personalized medicines, digital pharmacy, or telemedicine. The concept is widely used to tailor more programmed, controlled, and modified drug-release profiles of drug delivery systems (DDS) with complex sizes and geometry. It is computer-aided manufacturing based on the layer-by-layer formation of designs and objects. The chapter includes not only their working principles, and processed materials, but their current progress potentials, industrial-scale applications, and challenges also. MAM is based on various new techniques such as inkjet printing, contour crafting (CC), stereolithography (SLA), powder bed fusion (PBF), direct energy deposition, fused deposition modeling (FDM), and pressure-assisted microsyringes (PAM) technology. In these techniques, thermoplastic polymers or hydrogel in sequential layers such as polyvinyl alcohol, polylactic acid, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, Eudragit, chitosan, gelatin, polyvinylpyrrolidone (Kollidon), and poly(ε-caprolactone), etc., are used in the development of DDS. Future research could be organized with these advanced cost-effective printing techniques and compatible materials to widen the applications for 3D printing products and medical devices. The chapter encompasses a detailed account of materials, design, fabrication techniques, and applications of MAM in DDS and a special note on safe, efficient, and personalized medical devices