Laser-powder bed fusion 3D printing for tailored pharmaceutical applications
Innovative 3D printing technology using laser-powder bed fusion and responsive materials to create smart, customizable drug delivery systems for enhanced personalized medicine.
Overview
This cutting-edge technology leverages laser-powder bed fusion (L-PBF) 3D printing combined with responsive biopolymer materials to produce smart 4D structures specifically designed for drug delivery and biosensing applications. By employing an all-aqueous two-phase system of chitosan and carrageenan, the process creates stable water-in-water emulsions with self-assembled cholesteric CNCs, encapsulating curcumin. These emulsions are freeze-dried and processed into porous printlets that respond to temperature and redox conditions, enabling controlled drug release. This approach is set to revolutionize personalized medicine by allowing for the customization of drug delivery systems tailored to individual patient needs.
Technical specifications
- Materials and Process: Utilizes biocompatible chitosan and carrageenan to form emulsions with cholesteric self-assembly, encapsulating hydrophobic drugs like curcumin.
- Fabrication: Employs L-PBF 3D printing to create macroporous structures that are stimuli-responsive, adjusting to temperature and redox conditions for on-demand drug release.
- Customization: Enables manipulation of emulsion morphology and printlet design for patient-specific drug delivery requirements.
- Potential Applications: Suitable for drug delivery, biofabrication, and biosensing, with potential to enhance therapeutic efficacy and advance personalized medicine.
Technology readiness level
This technology is at a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 6, indicating that it has been demonstrated in relevant environments and is undergoing further validation in biological models to assess scalability and explore additional applications in biosensing.
About Universität für Bodenkultur Wien
BOKU University is a mid-sized public research university in Vienna, with about 10,400 students and 3,100 employees, focused on renewable resources and practical sustainability challenges. Its sites in Vienna, Tulln, and external field locations give corporate R&D teams access to shared core facilities, experimental farms, a forest demonstration centre, and specialized hydraulic infrastructure. Long-standing business collaborations and cooperative research structures connect faculty expertise with industry and public-sector needs. Research is supported by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF), the European Commission, Austrian public bodies, and companies, while a dedicated technology-transfer team assists with IP, patents, licensing, and commercialization.
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