DISRUPTION THROUGH INNOVATION: 3D PRINTING, A REVOLUTION IN THE PHARMACEUTICAL FIELD

During the last decade, 3D printing (3DP) has made waves across several field, up to enter people’s homes. In the pharmaceutical setting, its implementation is progressively growing, offering extensive scopes for creativity and practical benefits. The present thesis shows the results of research conducted during my PhD program. Specifically, Part I reports the successful application of Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) technique to produce intravaginal rings (IVRs) endowed with antifungal activity against Candida Albicans, a fungus, whose over-proliferation is responsible for vaginal infection. The IVRs were loaded with different imidazole drugs, commonly employed in the conventional treatment protocol. The resulting devices proved an effective in vitro eradication of the pathogen, potentially delivered within one single application, since a sustained release was observed. Part II is dedicated to 4DP, in the manufacturing of a multipurpose smart implant, relevant for the fight against breast cancer. The polyvalence of the implant lies on the possibility of converging the anticancer activity with the care of the cosmetic outcome. Therefore, a smart hydrogel capable of morpho-transformation, under swelling, was selected as core material. The formulation and the printing parameters were optimized, to achieve optimal printability performance and high swelling rate. Furthermore, doxorubicin (DOX) was incorporated, to provide localized anticancer treatment, thus preventing undesirable systemic side effects, and potential recurrences, as suggested by the in vitro studies conducted on MDA-MB 231 cell line. Finally, in Part III, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) has been proposed as alternative biopolymer for Direct Powder Extrusion (DPE) technique. The idea stems from the need to identify and test specific excipients for 3DP applications. Thereby, PHB was blended with different percentages of a model drug to prove its versatility and processability performance. The thermal analysis confirmed the stability of the excipient at high temperatures. While the drug release over 21 days, suggested its potential use for prolonged drug delivery dosage forms. Overall, this thesis proposes new insights on the pharmaceutical application of different 3DP techniques, until investigating 4DP. Alternative therapeutic approaches have been proposed, having regard to the physical and mental well-being of the patient. Along with contributing to overcoming one of the main challenges that interposes between the actual integration of 3DP, that is the material selection.