RT Journal Article
T1 Portable semisolid extrusion device for the production of personalized medicines in diverse settings
A1 Carou Senra, Paola
A1 Rodríguez Pombo, Lucía
A1 Castro Martínez, Laura
A1 Basit, Abdul Waseh
A1 Álvarez Lorenzo, Carmen
A1 Goyanes Goyanes, Álvaro
K1 Personalized medications
K1 Rare diseases
K1 Decentralised on-demand production
K1 Pen printing of pharmaceuticals
K1 Handheld devices
K1 Additive manufacturing
AB The potential of 3D printing (3DP) in personalized medicine has led to the development of various pharmaceutical-grade printers, advancing its integration into clinical practice. However, accessible and decentralized solutions are still required to enable on-demand drug production in remote or resource-limited settings. Handheld 3D pens offer a compact, portable, and energy-efficient alternative, particularly suited for small pharmacies, mobile clinics, emergency operations, and underserved regions. This study presents the first application of a handheld 3D pen using semisolid extrusion (SSE) technology for the precise fabrication of citrulline lozenges (200–700 mg). Citrulline, an amino acid used in the treatment of rare diseases, was formulated into two pharma-ink bars containing 30 % and 50 % w/w citrulline. Minimal materials were used, with isomalt, a sugar substitute, as the main excipient along with water, and no organic solvents were involved. Dose personalization was evaluated by selecting the printed area and the printing time, with a strong correlation observed between printing time and final dose. The printed lozenges exhibited excellent dose accuracy and recovery (∼100 %), while dissolution tests reported an 80 % of citrulline released within the first 12 min. The pharma-ink bars remained stable over one month, exhibiting minimal water loss (∼2%) and retaining both printability and drug integrity. These findings establish handheld 3D pens as environmentally-friendly technology for rapid personalized drug manufacturing. The combination of stable pharma-inks and precise dose control underscores its potential for decentralized, on-demand production of personalized therapies in remote and resource-constrained environments.
PB Elsevier
SN 0378-5173
YR 2025
FD 2025-11-30
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10347/43882
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10347/43882
LA eng
NO Carou-Senra, P., Rodríguez-Pombo, L., Castro-Martínez, L., Basit, A. W., Alvarez-Lorenzo, C., & Goyanes, A. (2025). Portable semisolid extrusion device for the production of personalized medicines in diverse settings. International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 685, 126198. 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2025.126198
NO This work was funded by Fundación Mutua Madrileña (XIX Edition of Fundación Mutua Madrileña Research Grants [AP180872022]) and partially funded by Spain Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación MCIN/AEI/https://doi.org/10.13039/501100011033 [PID2023-149544OB-C22], Xunta de Galicia [ED431C 2024/09] and FEDER.
NO PCS acknowledges a predoctoral fellowship [Programa de axudas á etapa predoutoral, grant number ED481A 2023] from Xunta de Galicia (Consellería de Cultura, Educación, Formación Profesional e Universidades). LRP acknowledges the predoctoral fellowship [FPU20/ 01245] provided by the Ministerio de Universidades [Formación de Profesorado Universitario (FPU 2020)].
DS Minerva
RD 4 may 2026