Shape-Tunable UV-Printed Solid Drugs for Personalized Medicine

Polymers (Basel). 2022 Jul 2;14(13):2714. doi: 10.3390/polym14132714.

Abstract

Several recent advances have emerged in biotherapy and the development of personal drugs. However, studies exploring effective manufacturing methods of personal drugs remain limited. In this study, solid drugs based on poly(ethylene glycol)diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogel and doxorubicin were fabricated, and their final geometry was varied through UV-light patterning. The results suggested that the final drug concentration was affected by the geometrical volume as well as the UV-light exposure time. The analysis of PEGDA showed no effect on the surrounding cells, indicating its high biocompatibility. However, with the addition of doxorubicin, it showed an excellent therapeutic effect, indicating that drugs inside the PEGDA structure could be successfully released. This approach enables personal drugs to be fabricated in a simple, fast, and uniform manner, with perfectly tuned geometry.

Keywords: UV-patterned; hydrogel; solid drugs.