Lipid-coated granule feedstock for high-precision pharmaceutical 3D printing

Background

The field of pharmaceutical manufacturing is rapidly evolving to meet increasing demands for personalized drug delivery, precise dosage forms, and consistent controlled-release profiles. As healthcare shifts toward individu­alized treatment plans, clinicians and researchers are seeking advanced manufacturing solutions that deliver compact, robust, and high drug-loading formulations. Additive manufacturing, particularly powder bed fusion methods, offers a promising route, but widespread adoption is limited by persistent processing and formulation challenges.

Traditional powder-based 3D printing approaches often struggle with poor powder flow, leading to uneven layer deposition and inconsistent product formation. High porosity and rapid disintegration further undermine the structural integrity and release control of printed dosage forms. Additionally, the need for pre-treatment or flow-enhancing additives can introduce variability in drug content and compromise long-term stability. These limitations hinder the creation of reliable, scalable systems for patient-specific medications and high-dose applications.

Technology overview

This technology introduces a hot-melt granulation process where a therapeutic compound is blended with a low melting point lipid. Upon heating and extru­sion, the lipid uniformly coats drug particles, resulting in free-flowing granules ideal for selective laser melting (SLM)-based powder bed fusion. During SLM, the coated granules are fused into dense tablets with low porosity, high drug loading, and tunable extended-release profiles. Optional formulation enhancements—such as lower melting lipids or polymers—help reduce thermal degradation during laser fusion.

This method offers a solvent-free, scalable, and structurally robust alternative to traditional powder bed fusion systems. By integrating granulation and SLM, the technology improves powder flowability, enables consistent layer fusion, and minimizes burst release. It produces compact dosage forms with precise drug content and controlled release kinetics, making it especially suitable for personalized therapeutics and continuous pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Benefits

• Enhances flow properties of drug powders for reliable powder bed fusion printing
• Achieves low-porosity tablets with consistent extended-release profiles
• Supports high drug loading without sacrificing structural integrity
• Reduces thermal degradation using low melting lipids and protective polymers
• Solvent-free, scalable processes are compatible with continuous manufacturing systems

Commercial applications

• Personalized drug delivery systems
• Extended-release pharmaceutical tablets
• High-dose formulations for chronic conditions
• Continuous manufacturing platforms
• Advanced pharmaceutical 3D printing research

Opportunity

• Addresses poor flowability and porosity in conventional powder bed fusion techniques
• Enables scalable production of robust, high-precision dosage forms
• Ideal for pharmaceutical companies developing personalized, extended-release medications
• Available for licensing and integration into next-generation drug manufacturing platforms

Patents

Provisional patent 63/710,474 filed