3D-Printed Multifunctional Multicompartment Polymer-Based Capsules for Tunable and Spatially Controlled Drug Release
Source abstract
Abstract
The development of polymer-based systems is central to the design of next-generation drug delivery carriers, as polymers enable versatile tuning of physicochemical properties and responsiveness. In this work, we introduce a 3D printing-based strategy for the fabrication of multicompartment capsules that integrate multiple polymers within a unique one-step process. This approach allows precise spatial organization and structural complexity, yielding capsules with customizable features such as compartmentalization, polymer-specific responsiveness, and localized release control. In particular, pH-triggered release can be programmed across distinct polymeric regions of the capsules, enabling site-specific delivery along different intestinal segments, including the small intestine and colon. The use of 3D printing thus provides a scalable and adaptable platform to generate multifunctional polymer-based carriers with finely tunable drug release profiles, paving the way for new directions in polymer-enabled controlled delivery technologies.
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Research context
OpenAlex topics: 3D Printing in Biomedical Research · Polymer Surface Interaction Studies · Hydrogels: synthesis, properties, applications
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy
Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCSS, 00168 Rome, Italy
Istituto dei Sistemi Complessi, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, CNR, via dei Taurini 19, 00185 Rome, Italy
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