Personalised 3D printed drug delivery system for intestinal fibrosis treatment

Overview

Intestinal fibrosis is a common complication of chronic inflammatory conditions such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and conventional therapies often struggle to deliver therapeutic agents precisely to affected fibrotic sites. This project addresses that gap by applying 3D printing to create personalised structures designed to house and release anti-fibrotic agents with controlled precision at the disease site. By tailoring dimensions, geometries, and drug content to each patient, the approach aims to optimise localised treatment, enhance efficacy, mitigate systemic side effects, and potentially reduce the number of drug administrations required. The adaptability of 3D printing also allows release profiles to be tuned to suit diverse disease stages, which is particularly valuable as fibrosis progresses and patient responses evolve.

Technical specifications

The platform explores diverse 3D printing techniques and materials to optimise the release profiles of personalised drug delivery structures. Key technical activities include:

• Design and fabrication of 3D printed structures encapsulating anti-fibrotic agents, with optimised printing parameters and material selection
• Comprehensive characterisation of mechanical properties to ensure structural integrity during delivery
• Evaluation of drug encapsulation efficiency and release kinetics
• In vitro studies using intestinal cell cultures to assess cellular uptake and anti-fibrotic efficacy on fibrotic markers
• In vivo validation in animal models mirroring human intestinal fibrosis, with monitoring of disease progression, fibrotic marker expression, therapeutic response, and tissue-level localisation

Prior work has demonstrated that biologics remain stable through the printing process, retaining activity levels of up to 85% post-printing, and that excipient selection significantly impacts both biologic activity and print success. The team is actively seeking collaboration with partners experienced in animal models of fibrosis to support the in vivo phase.

Technology readiness level

The research is at an advanced preclinical stage. Proof-of-concept has already been established through the formulation of 3D printed suppositories containing biologics for inflammatory bowel disease, with demonstrated post-printing biologic stability and retained therapeutic activity. The planned 12-month programme will advance the technology through three phases: design and fabrication optimisation, in vitro characterisation and cellular studies, and in vivo validation in animal fibrosis models. The team is open to collaboration with industry partners, particularly those with expertise in fibrosis animal models, to accelerate translation toward clinical application.