3D/4D Printing of Bioadhesive Pharmaceutical Systems

Book excerpt: This book features a brief history of additive manufacturing and 3D/4D printing techniques, as well as the advantages, applications, and overall challenges facing the technology. It then focuses on the applications of bioadhesive systems for drug delivery. 3D/4D Printing of Bioadhesive Pharmaceutical Systems: Additive Manufacturing and Perspectives, explores recent discoveries of 3D printing in the development of pharmaceutical systems and drug delivery. Specifically, it discusses the main polymers/materials used in the development of bio-adhesive pharmaceutical systems and explains the importance of bio-adhesiveness of drug release through 3D printing. The authors also introduce the main strategies necessary to achieve a proper drug delivery system through 3D printing, and examine the adhesiveness of these systems on the skin as the mucosa decreases with the elimination of the drug by the body. Finally, the book brings all the necessary specifications to obtain a bioadhesive system with suitable bio-ink to obtain the best 3D/4D printing. This book is written with the objective of helping students start their studies in pharmaceutical engineering, bioengineering and additive manufacturing. Moreover, engineering professionals can use the book to improve the performance of 3D/4D printers for this type of system.