Combining 3D Printing and Microfluidic Techniques: A Powerful Synergy for Nanomedicine

Abstract

Nanomedicine has grown tremendously in recent years as a responsive strategy to find novel therapies for treating challenging pathological conditions. As a result, there is an urgent need to develop novel formulations capable of providing adequate therapeutic treatment while overcoming the limitations of traditional protocols. Lately, microfluidic technology (MF) and additive manufacturing (AM) have both acquired popularity, bringing numerous benefits to a wide range of life science applications. There have been numerous benefits and drawbacks of MF and AM as distinct techniques, with case studies showing how the careful optimization of operational parameters enables them to overcome existing limitations. Therefore, the focus of this review was to highlight the potential of the synergy between MF and AM, emphasizing the significant benefits that this collaboration could entail. The combination of the techniques ensures the full customization of MF-based systems while remaining cost-effective and less time-consuming compared to classical approaches. Furthermore, MF and AM enable highly sustainable procedures suitable for industrial scale-out, leading to one of the most promising innovations of the near future.

Evolution of 3d printing technology in fabrication of microfluidic devices and biological applications: a comprehensive review

“…Extremely sustainable processes appropriate for industrial scale are made possible by the conjugation of additive manufacturing and microfluidics. 39 Some benefits of 3D printing for the microfluidics area include its simplicity, rapid and efficient prototyping without the need for photomasks, photoresists or cleanroom equipment. Users with minimum or no prior experience may easily recreate this process to build elaborate structures at micrometre scale precision.…”

Breaking the clean room barrier: exploring low-cost alternatives for microfluidic devices

“…It employs a digital projector to selectively shine light on the resin, allowing for faster printing because an entire layer of resin can be exposed at once ( Catterton et al, 2021 ; Tabriz et al, 2022 ). Due to the high pixel density of the digital projector, this method typically has a higher resolution; however, some other 3D printing technologies produce smoother and more accurate surfaces due to the precision of the laser beam ( Rey-Joly Maura et al, 2021 ; Musgrove et al, 2022 ; Chen et al, 2023 ).…”

Advances in Three Dimensional Bioprinting for Wound Healing: A Comprehensive Review

“…They do so by employing various cell types and ECM while retaining the chemical and mechanical characteristics of micro-level surroundings [226]. During the production, cleanroom technology is essential to prevent dust or particle accumulation in microchannels [132,227]. Given the valve integrations and time-consuming procedures, these technologies result in intensive resource consumption and time-consuming activities.…”