Fabrication of bio-composite drug delivery system using rapid prototyping technology

Abstract

The rapid prototyping (RP) technology has advanced in various fields such as verification of design, and functional test. Recently, researchers have studied bio-materials to fabricate functional bio-RP parts. In this research, a nano composite deposition system (NCDS) was developed to fabricate three-dimensional functional parts for bio-applications. In the hybrid process, the material removal process by mechanical micro machining and/or the deposition process are combined. NCDS uses biocompatible or biodegradable polymer resin as matrix and various bio-ceramics to form bio-composite materials. To test drug release rate in vivo environment, two different types of drug delivery system (DDS) were fabricated using the bio-composite materials. 1) Container type DOS used poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolide acid)(50:50) and 5-fluorouracil as the drug composite while polycaprolactone(PCL) served as the container of the drug. 2) Scaffold type DDS formed porous microstructure with poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolide acid)(50:50) and 5-fluorouracil composite. The effect of geometry of the DDS on release rate of drug is under investigation.