Skip to main content
CRS 2026 Annual Meeting & Exposition Main banner

Manufacturing and Process Scale-Up

Printing the future of vaccines: Dissolvable 3D printed microneedles using PbAEs for drug delivery

Karen Alvey – Anne Mclaren Fellow, Pharmacy, University of Nottingham; Robert Owen – Nottingham Research Fellow Fellowship, Pharmacy, University of Nottingham; Cameron Alexander – Professor of Polymer Therapeutics, Pharmacy, University of Nottingham; David Scurr – Principal Research Fellow, Pharmacy, University of Nottingham
Introduction:

 

The deployment of vaccine programs, utilising biologics like mRNA, can be hindered by the cold chain dependency, fear of needles and reliance on healthcare personnel(1). Dissolving Microneedle Patches (DMPs) can serve as an alternative intradermal delivery platform (2). Whilst the current fabrication method, micromoulding, is well established, it suffers from restricted design flexibility and challenges with reproducibility. Light-based additive manufacturing, such as stereolithography, provides an alternative route for fabricating DMPs with controlled release (3). Poly(β-amino esters) (PbAEs) were investigated as they can be printed whilst serving as drug carriers(4).

 

Learning Objectives:

  • Explain how formulations containing poly(β-amino ester)s enable 3D printing of dissolving microneedles patches.
  • Demonstrate how formulation containing curcumin and 4-acryloylmorpholine improve print fidelity and insertion.
  • Identify opportunities for drug delivery of biologics using 3D-printed dissolving microneedles patches.