๐ Data publikacji: 29.05.2025
In 2028, a team led by Professor Anna Malewska at the Medical University of ลódลบ launched PharmaPrint—an ambitious project to harness 3D printing for personalized pharmaceuticals. Traditional tablets and capsules offered fixed dosages and release profiles, limiting the ability to tailor treatment to individual patients’ age, weight, metabolic rate, and genetic polymorphisms.
The team developed PharmExt-1, a dual-extruder printer: one extruder for pharmaceutical powder blends, another for PVA-based hydrogel binding agents. Early prototypes included dual-release tablets containing 200 mg ibuprofen for immediate relief and 400 mg naproxen for sustained release. In vitro dissolution testing in simulated gastric and intestinal fluids demonstrated 70% drug release within the first hour and the remaining 30% over six hours, matching precise therapeutic windows.
Parallel efforts produced genetically optimized epinephrine implants: using pharmacogenomic screening, dosage, and release rates were calibrated for patients with congenital heart defects. Customized tablets delivered 1.0 µg of adrenaline per minute—previously only achievable via controlled infusion—proving 3D printing’s potential to replace injectables in certain scenarios.
Professor Malewska concluded Part 1: “PharmaPrint marks the dawn of precision pharmacy, enabling dosage and release profiles tailored to each patient, far beyond the reach of conventional manufacturing.”
In 2029, Kraków University Hospital opened a pilot pharmacy equipped with PharmaPrint-Clinic printers. Oncologists collaborated to print personalized chemotherapy pills, such as capecitabine tablets with patient-specific release kinetics, minimizing healthy tissue exposure and side effects while maintaining efficacy.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) issued GMP guidelines for printed drugs, requiring full process validation, traceability of raw materials from API batch to individual pill serial number, and digital archiving of print parameters—temperature, nozzle pressure, layer thickness—following ISO 17511 standards.
A clinical trial for type 2 diabetes involved 200 patients printing metformin tablets with release synchronized to real-time glucose levels via continuous glucose monitors. Results showed a 15% improvement in glycemic stability and reduced nighttime hypoglycemia compared to standard formulations.
By mid-2029, the Polish Ministry of Health announced a national registry for printed pharmaceuticals, ensuring safety and oversight. Pharmacists transitioned into the role of pharmaceutical printers, gaining novel expertise in drug formulation and printer operation.
Phase 3 research focused on layered prints combining mRNA vaccines encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles and protein scaffolds, releasing antigen in lymph nodes. Preclinical trials showed a 20% increase in immunogenicity over traditional injections.
WHO and the International Council for Harmonisation (ICH) began drafting unified regulations for drug printing, covering intellectual property, liability for print errors, and certification of printing sites as pharmaceutical production units.
NASA plans to deploy on-demand drug printers on deep-space missions, enabling astronauts to print muscle-regeneration tablets and skin-healing patches from stowed API powders, drastically reducing payload mass.
Professor Malewska concluded: “3D-printed drugs herald a new era of healthcare—personal, local, and responsive to each patient’s unique biology.” ๐