ABSTRACT
Three-dimensional (3D) printing technologies have gained increased attention in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals in recent years. These rapid prototyping technologies have a wide range of applications, from the manufacturing of personalised printlets (3D printed tablets) to medical devices and 3D bioprinting of living tissues. In the pharmaceutical arena, 3D printing enables the manufacture of small batches of medicines on demand, offering significant advantages for drug development and clinical practice, such as the ability to personalise dosage forms according to each individual patient’s needs or tailor them for use in preclinical and clinical studies. By using these technologies, it is also possible to create drug-loaded prostheses and implants for the controlled release of medicines, as well as complex bio-printed structures. However, all the possibilities that these technologies bring to the preclinical and clinical arena have not yet been fully exploited. In this book chapter, an overview of the latest cutting-edge investigations in 3D printing and bioprinting applied to preclinical and clinical investigations is offered, also providing a prospective approach towards strategies to help the translation of these technologies to the clinical practice.
