TECH
3D printer used to synthesize drugs
The idea of printing a 3D object was utterly bizarre many years ago when the idea first became popularized. Now that the technology has become available, printing a small item like a statue or DIY gadget shell is not unusual. However, the technology holds promise for applications beyond that, ones that sound almost magical: printing organs ("bioprinting"), for example, or synthesizing on-demand pharmaceutical drugs.University of Glasgow chemist Leroy Cronin and colleagues have worked on creating a way to essentially print pharmaceutical drugs, according to ScienceMag. Using what are known as simple starting compounds, the researchers were able to successfully create baclofen, muscle relaxer, and some other drugs including medication for acid reflux.The technology holds promise for on-demand pharmaceutical creation, making it possible to, for example, print a rarely needed medication that may not be in commercial production. The technology could also be used in remote areas where access to a wide variety of medications is not available.
Notably, the technology is accessible to nonspecialists, and would reduce the large-scale mass production of certain medications down to a small scale, easily acquired system. In addition to the aforementioned scenarios, a system like this could be used in regions to produce drugs needed to deal with an outbreak versus waiting for drug shipments to arrive from elsewhere.
Brittany Roston
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