In medicine 3D printing has alrady been used to create prosthetic limbs, implants and other devices. But could technology be used to print personalised pills?
Dr Laura Ruiz-Cantu and Dr YinFeng He take on the challenge to print a so-called "wonder pill" that can deliver multiple medications to the body, at the correct dose and time. They haver both utilised 3D printing technology to manufacture personalised 'polypills'.
What is a polypill?
A polypill is a tablet or pill which can be loaded with several different medications and can be personalised to deliver a patient specific combination of medication, at just the right dose depending on the patient's weight, sex, ethnicity and genetic factors etc.
Beneifts
Having just one polypill can be particularly helpful for example, the very young or the elderly who find it difficult to swallow pills, which is often made worse by having to take several different medications.
How to 3D print the 'wonder pill'
What's next?
3D printing of polypills can also enable the local manufacture of medication at community pharmacies, so revoluntionising the supply chain and could be especially useful in war zones and low income countries where transport links can limited.
Laura Ruiz-Cantu
Laura is a Transitional Assistant Professor at the Centre of Additive Manufacturing (AM). Laura has extensive expertise in several AM technologies including micro extrusion printing, inkjet 3D printing and more.
Currently, Laura and her team are working on developing smart photocurable biomaterials for bioprinting vascularised tissues.
YinFeng He
YinFeng is a Transitional Assistant Professor at the Centre of Additive Manufacturing (AM) too. YinFeng has been working with inkjet based 3D pritning and photopolymeruation techniques for more than seven years.
Having long experience in formulation for mulit-material inkjet 3D printing process to produce environment stimuli responding smart devices by integrating of functional materials.
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