Everyone has a somewhat unique body because we are all different humans. Also, our medical conditions are not always identical, regardless of the diagnosis. So how can we expect the same treatment to work equally effectively for everyone?
Personalized medicines are a huge goal for medical science. But it is very difficult to achieve. Now scientists at UCL have created a 3D printer system, which allows making personalized medications with quite simple machinery, obtaining printed medicine specifically tailored to the individual needs of the patient.
Printing medicine using a compact system is a very important goal. Not only it allows making medicines in hospitals – meaning, close to the patients – it makes it easier to manufacture pharmaceuticals in remote locations all around the world. In fact, scientists say that 3D printers could help make medicine in patient’s home. Personalized medicine doesn’t mean that everyone gets unique drugs. In simple terms, the same drugs can be adjusted to every condition, making sure that dosage of each element is very precise. And this novel 3D printing system helps achieve that.
This is a small 3D printer, based on the previous M3DIMAKER. It is basically a coffee machine-sized device with a 3D printing head, a place for a smartphone, and a vessel for drug solution. And the procedure is actually quite simple.
At first, patient or the medical staff receives a personalised resin formulation, which includes a set dose of the medicine. Drug solution with a photoreactive chemical is then poured into the resin tank. A smartphone app allows customizing the shape of the Printlet (3D-printed tablet). That smartphone is then inserted into the 3D printer. The device uses the light of the smartphone screen to solidify the drug into a pill.
Scientists already conducted some testing with different drugs and different smartphones. They managed to print Printlets containing warfarin, a common blood thinner, in different dosages, sizes, and shapes. While scientists understand that their method still needs to undergo safety checks, if the trials go smoothly this could be a stepping stone towards more personalized medicine.
Abdul Basit, co-senior author of the study, said: “While plenty of challenges remain to bring our vision to life, we hope that 3D-printed medications could facilitate point-of-care medicine, with printers in hospital emergency wards or in GP surgeries, perhaps even in resource-limited areas, and hopefully in people’s homes as well.”
Of course, Printlets are not going to replace all the medicine. However, some medication could be manufactured like this. Personalized medicine is a very ambitious goal, but someday at least some drugs you take could be made specially for you.
Source: UCL
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