Close X
Thursday, November 7, 2024
ADVT 
India

3D-printed technology to make drug delivery better

Darpan News Desk IANS, 22 Aug, 2014 11:31 AM
    The US researchers have developed an innovative method for using affordable, consumer-grade 3D printers and materials to fabricate custom medical implants that can contain antibacterial and chemotherapeutic compounds for targeted drug delivery.
     
    The team has created filament extruders that can make medical-quality 3D printing filaments that have specialised properties for drug delivery.
     
    Creating these filaments is a new concept that can result in smart drug delivering medical implants or catheters.
     
    “After identifying the usefulness of the 3D printers, we realised there was an opportunity for rapid prototyping using this fabrication method,” said Jeffery Weisman, a doctoral student from Louisiana Tech University's biomedical engineering programme.
     
    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, he added.
     
    The new method of creating medically compatible 3D-printing filaments will offer hospital pharmacists and physicians a novel way to deliver drugs and treat illness.
     
    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.
     
    Weisman and his team's custom 3D print filaments can be made of bioplastics which can be resorbed by the body to avoid the need for additional surgery.
     
    The new technique enables dispersion on a tabletop scale, allowing researchers to easily customise additives to the desired levels.
     
    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, Weisman concluded.

    MORE India ARTICLES

    Political Circus: Will Modi's own camp accept his I-Day advice?

    Political Circus: Will Modi's own camp accept his I-Day advice?
    Perhaps the most important part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Independence Day speech from the ramparts of New Delhi's Red Fort was his call...

    Political Circus: Will Modi's own camp accept his I-Day advice?

    Man hurls shoe at Badal; Akali Dal blames AAP

    Man hurls shoe at Badal; Akali Dal blames AAP
    A shoe hurled at Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal by an unemployed youth in a village near here Friday during an Independence Day function...

    Man hurls shoe at Badal; Akali Dal blames AAP

    Modi delivers on promised financial inclusion mission

    Modi delivers on promised financial inclusion mission
    Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday announced a financial inclusion mission to mark India's 68th Independence Day and extend banking, credit, insurance...

    Modi delivers on promised financial inclusion mission

    Punjab makes dope test mandatory for government jobs

    Punjab makes dope test mandatory for government jobs
    To curb incidence of people addicted to drugs joining state government service, the Punjab government Thursday announced that dope testing will be mandatory...

    Punjab makes dope test mandatory for government jobs

    Pakistan fires at Indian positions on LoC

    Pakistan fires at Indian positions on LoC
    The Pakistan Army fired without any provocation at Indian positions on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, an official said Thursday....

    Pakistan fires at Indian positions on LoC

    Modi not to address US Congress

    Modi not to address US Congress
    Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not be addressing the US Congress when he comes calling September end for a summit with President Barack Obama....

    Modi not to address US Congress