Engineering precision biomaterials for personalized medicine

Abstract

As the demand for precision medicine continues to rise, the "one-size-fits-all" approach to designing medical devices and therapies is becoming increasingly outdated. Biomaterials have considerable potential for transforming precision medicine, but individual patient complexity often necessitates integrating multiple functions into a single device to successfully tailor personalized therapies. Here, we introduce an engineering strategy based on unit operations to provide a unified vocabulary and contextual framework to aid the design of biomaterial-based devices and accelerate their translation.

Engineering Precision Medicine

“…For example, shear-thinning polymers could be easily injected and conform to the shape of a patient's cavity to form a patient size specific implant; [80] enzyme or pH degradable materials can be used in manufacturing bioscaffold that will be resorbed by the patient in a rate specific to the patient's physiological Bioscaffold-mediated stem cell delivery for muscle regeneration. [81] Progress in polymer chemistry has improved our control over polymerization, and the versatility in polymer chemical composition tuning has generated a large library of biocompatible materials, such as polyethylene glycol, polycaprolactone, poly (N-isopropylacrylamide), poly(glycolic acid), poly(lactic acid), and poly(lactic acid-co-glycolic acid). b) Injection of the stem cell-loaded scaffold into the target location using a delivery device.…”

Additive Manufacturing of Precision Biomaterials

“…Instead, we rely on implants of standardized sizes, e.g., mitral valve rings and orthopedic bone plates, and geometric modifications are made when necessary in the operating room. The ability to generate high‐resolution medical images about the geometric constraints and biological signature of the patient, as well as access to on‐demand free‐form manufacturing will enable the realization of precision biomaterials that are individualized to the patient and for the specific application …”

Recent Advances in Enabling Technologies in 3D Printing for Precision Medicine

“…Outdated methods of systemic, generalized therapies are now being replaced or augmented with precision medicine . As opposed to the “one‐size‐fits‐all” approach in traditional healthcare, precision medicine produces therapies or treatments specific to an individual or subset of patients ( Table 1 ). This shift is evident in movements such as the personalized medicine initiative (PMI) announced by President Barack Obama in 2015, as well as a growing market size for precision medicine in the United States that is expected to reach $87 billion by 2023 .…”

“…As opposed to the “one‐size‐fits‐all” approach in traditional healthcare, precision medicine produces therapies or treatments specific to an individual or subset of patients ( Table 1 ). This shift is evident in movements such as the personalized medicine initiative (PMI) announced by President Barack Obama in 2015, as well as a growing market size for precision medicine in the United States that is expected to reach $87 billion by 2023 . Thus, there is a clear interest in the advancement of technologies that can improve precision medicine approaches.…”

“…In an ideal platform, these technologies would provide automated, reproducible results, while modular formulations and postprocessing methods would allow for easy plug‐and‐play incorporation of precision elements. This type of system encourages a unit‐operations approach similar to that discussed for precision biomaterial design by Aguado et al…”