Dec 25, 2017 | By Tess
At a recent health conference in Bilbao, Spain about advancements in vaccinations, a number of professionals cited the potentials of 3D printing for advancing the efficiency of administering as well as customizing vaccines.
The conference, called “Advances in vaccines,” was hosted by the Association of Microbiology and Health (AMYS), as well as the Department of Pediatrics and the Department of Immunology, Microbiology, and Parasitology from the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU).
The event brought together experts from the field of vaccinations to speak about the current state of the sector and directions vaccination-related research is headed in the future. 3D printing, unsurprisingly, was a key topic of discussion.
One speaker, Pedro Alsina, from the Institutional Relations of Sanofi, spoke about how 3D printing will enable the production of customized vaccines, which can be tailored to the recipient’s genetic makeup.
Additionally, he said that it will soon be possible to 3D print vaccines inside structures that can either be administered externally (say, a patch stuck to the skin), or orally (as tablets or even inside fruits and vegetables, for instance). Having alternative methods for vaccinations other than needles could make it easier to deploy them to regions where medical staff are in short supply.
Research groups from around the globe are currently working on various methods for 3D printing vaccinations. At the University of California, Berkeley, for example, a team is developing a 3D printed device called MucoJet, which could allow people to administer their own vaccinations by using a pressurized system to shoot a stream of the vaccine into their inner cheek tissue.
In MIT’s laboratories, engineers are developing an alternative method which would use micro-scale 3D printing to make small “SEAL” holders for vaccinations which could be implanted with a single injection and release drug or vaccines doses over a defined period of time.
3D printed MucoJet device
These projects, and many more like them, suggest a promising future for vaccinations. Still, the medical system will need to adapt to handling faster developments in the field, said one expert at the conference.
“At present, the manufacturing of vaccines is a long and complex process due to the nature of the raw materials (microorganisms) and the quality control processes that occupy 70% of the total manufacturing time,” said Alsina, who suggests that vaccination regulations should be simplified and “harmonized” across all countries in order to increase innovation in the field.
Another key goal addressed at the conference was the development of more efficient vaccines, especially for such sicknesses as the flu. “We must work to achieve a more immunogenic injection in the most vulnerable people and for the universal flu vaccine so that it is not necessary to go through the process once a year,” said Dr. Ramón Cisterna, a professor of microbiology and the president of AMYS.
He also stated that the medical community advancing towards the development of vaccinations not only for infections, but also for tumor-based or metabolic diseases.
Posted in 3D Printing Application
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