Giovanni Falcone

Visiting PhD student (University of Salerno, Italy)

3D printing hydrogels for drug delivery

 

Supervisor in Erlangen: Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini

In the last decade, the interest of pharmaceutical researcher is moving towards 3D printing technologies due to their use in personalized therapy and the potential improvement of healthcare system [1]. The present project (doctoral thesis)  on “3D printing technologies for drug delivery systems and medical devices” is being carried out at the laboratories of pharmaceutical technology of the University of Salerno. The research focus on the investigation of the most importantrequirements to produce innovative drug delivery systems, such as floating or chewable systems, exploiting natural polymer matrices via semi solid extrusion 3D printing. In detail, the project has focused on the complete characterization of ink-gels based on alginate to ensure high resolution and reproducibility of the printing process. The training period at the Institute of Biomaterials (FAU) will focus on the mechanical characterization of the different alginate based ink-gels [2] considering also their applicability to drug delivery systems.

[1] Aquino, R. P.; Barile, S.; Grasso, A.; Saviano, M., Envisioning smart and sustainable healthcare: 3D Printing technologies for personalized medication. Futures 2018, 103, 35-50.

[2] Reakasame, S.; Dranseikiene, D.; Schrüfer, S.; Zheng, K.; Schubert, D. W.; Boccaccini, A. R., Development of alginate dialdehyde-gelatin based bioink with methylcellulose for improving printability. Materials Science and Engineering: C 2021, 128, 11233