Researchers from the Materials Research Institute at Ireland's Athlone Institute of Technology have developed a 3D-printable pill that enables customised medication. Not only can different types of medication be integrated into one pill, but medication can also be tailored to patients' specific needs.
Patients need to take a combination of medication in some cases, which in practice means taking a cocktail of pills daily. Also, in some cases, pills have to be taken at different times of the day, which can make taking the right medication at the right time a challenge. The researchers point out that patients actually take their prescribed medication correctly only in 50-70% of cases.
Bespoke capsules
To address this problem, researchers Evert Fuenmayor and professor Ian Major have developed a blueprint for custom-made capsules. The pills can contain different types of medication and are capable of delivering specific medication in the right amount over a longer period of time.
"Pharmacogenetics allows doctors to use a patient's genetic profile to predict the effectiveness of medication and determine the dose," Fuenmayor explains. "It basically tells us how an individual will respond to medication."
Biocompatible polymers
The researchers started their project by investigating whether 3D-printed biocompatible and biodegradable polymers could function as a vehicle for delivering tailored medication. This material was previously used for rapid prototyping and component manufacturing, among other things.
"When we started this research, the idea that 3D-printing polymers could be used to deliver medication into the body was very innovative - no one was already doing this," Fuenmayor explains. "We succeeded in developing highly customisable and dynamic healthcare technology."
The timing and speed at which medication is delivered can be adjusted by making small changes to the configuration of the printer. "We mixed and melted the material, made filament and fed it to the printer. Depending on the settings we selected, we were able to create completely different medication profiles," Fuenmayor said. "With two simple clicks, I could create a capsule that stays in the body for three days or six hours - depending on the patient's need."
3D printing in pharmacy
The researchers foresee that their technology could make tailored medication accessible to the general public. "Pharmacists will be able to create a medication profile on the spot based on unique patient needs. With the right medication-laden polymers in stock and a small 3D printer, they will be able to print your medication in the pharmacy itself," said the researcher.
"We are still learning about how different people respond to medication, doses and therapies, so this is not yet a reality. However, this is where medication delivery is heading and what we hope for."
Speeding up manufacturing process
The technology currently has its limitations, the researchers acknowledge. "Printing 30 tablets on a desktop printer takes about four hours," Major said. "This while traditional manufacturing methods can produce thousands of pills per hour on a single tablet printer."
To solve this problem, the researchers are working on a process that combines injection moulding with 3D printing to speed up the manufacturing process. The development of this process is still at an early stage, but the first results are promising, according to the researchers.
Multiply Labs
The Athlone Institute of Technology researchers are not the only ones working on 3D-printable customised medication. US-based Multiply Labs is also working on such technology. CEO Fred Parietti recently explained in a blog post that the company is working on robotic systems to produce personalised medication.
The company aims to integrate all daily medication that patients take into one capsule. Not only can the dosage of medication be tailored to the patient's needs, but medication can also be delivered at a specific time or over a longer period of time.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
