3D Bioplotter Research Papers

For treating idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss, prednisolone is commonly used. However, systemic or middle ear injections often lead to insufficient drug delivery to the inner ear, causing ineffective treatment and systemic side effects. An implant inserted into the middle ear and delivering the drug directly to the inner ear offers a promising solution, providing controlled, long-term drug release with potentially better efficacy and fewer side effects. Individualized implants made of prednisolone-containing silicone can optimize inner ear treatment by fitting the patient’s middle ear anatomy. To gauge the properties of prednisolone-21-hydrogen succinate containing silicone, samples with different geometries and drug…

Background There exists an unfulfilled requirement for effective cochlear pharmacotherapy. Controlled local drug delivery could lead to effective bioavailability. The round window niche (RWN), a cavity in the middle ear, is connected to the cochlea via a membrane through which drug can diffuse. We are developing individualized drug-eluting RWN implants (RNIs). To test their effectiveness in guinea pigs, a commonly used model in cochlear pharmacology studies, it is first necessary to develop guinea pig RNIs (GP-RNI). Methods Since guinea pigs do not have a RWN such as it is present in humans and to reduce the variables in in vivo…

Introduction: For the treatment of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL), dexamethasone (DEX) delivery via silicone implants, customized to individual patient anatomy through 3D printing, may be used. To ensure safety, the sterility of these implants must be verified. Autoclaving was employed as a potential sterilization method, and the biocompatibility and bio-efficacy of 3D-printed, DEX-loaded implants, using three different medical-grade silicones, were assessed post-autoclaving.   Methods: UV-Silicone 60A MG (Momentive, Niskayuna, USA), Nusil Med-4960 (Avantor, Radnor, USA), and Amsil Silbione 24503-50 A (Elkem, Oslo, Norway) loaded with 0, 1, 10, or 20 (w/w) % DEX (caelo, Hilden, Germany) were 3D printed…

The regular way to determine the in vitro release rates of drugs from implantable drug delivery systems consists of the complete immersion of the implant into a medium. The medium surrounds the implant, and the diffusion of the drugs occurs across the whole implant surface directly into the medium. This method does not accurately model the release rates if the real diffusion only happens across only one part of the surface of the implant, through a membrane, and into a small volume of medium. It also does not address the anatomical shape of the studied structure. One example for this…