Aug. 21, 2014
A team of researchers at Louisiana Tech University has developed an innovative method for using affordable desktop 3D printers and materials to fabricate custom medical implants that can contain antibacterial and chemotherapeutic compounds for targeted drug delivery.
The team creates filament extruders that can make medical-quality 3D printing filaments which have specialized properties for drug delivery. This new concept can result in smart drug delivering medical implants or catheters.
Jeffery Weisman uses a Makerbot 3D printer to create custom medical implant 'beads' that contain antibiotic and drug delivery properties. Credit: Louisiana Tech University
"After identifying the usefulness of the 3D printers, we realized there was an opportunity for rapid prototyping using this fabrication method," said Jeffery Weisman, a doctoral student in Louisiana Tech's biomedical engineering program. "Through the addition of nanoparticles and/or other additives, this technology becomes much more viable using a common 3D printing material that is already biocompatible. The material can be loaded with antibiotics or other medicinal compounds, and the implant can be naturally broken down by the body over time."
This new concept will offer a novel way to deliver drugs and treat illness, said Weisman. "One of the greatest benefits of this technology is that it can be done using any consumer printer and can be used anywhere in the world."
Most of today's antibiotic implants, or "beads," are made out of bone cements which have to be hand-mixed by a surgeon during a surgical procedure and contain toxic carcinogenic substances. These beads, which are actually a type of Plexiglas, do not break down in the body and require additional surgery for removal.
Dr. David K. Mills, professor of biological sciences and biomedical engineering said the team had been working on several applications of 3D printing for some time. And one day, he sent an email to his colleagues and asked them the question, 'Do you think it would be possible to print antibiotic beads using some kind of PMMA or other absorbable material?'"
From that point, they started to work on this innovative approach aiming to overcome many of the limitations encountered in current drug delivery systems. Their result, the custom 3D print filaments can be made of bioplastics which can be resorbed by the body to avoid the need for additional surgery.
3D printed "beads" containing antibacterial or cancer-fighting compounds. Credit: Louisiana Tech University
The nature of the 3D printing process developed at Louisiana Tech allows for the creation of partially hollow beads that provide for a greater surface area and increased drug delivery and control. Localized treatment with the 3D printed antibiotic beads also avoids large systemic drug dosages that are toxic and can cause damage to a patient's liver and kidneys.
"Currently, embedding of additives in plastic requires industrial-scale facilities to ensure proper dispersion throughout the extruded plastic," explains Mills. "Our method enables dispersion on a tabletop scale, allowing researchers to easily customize additives to the desired levels. There are not even any industrial processes for antibiotics or special drug delivery as injection molding currently focuses more on colorants and cosmetic properties."
"It is truly novel and a worldwide first to be 3D printing custom devices with antibiotics and chemotherapeutics."
Posted in 3D Printers
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