Student: Anh-Vu Do, Graduate Student, University of Iowa
Faculty Advisor: Aliaseger Salem
Fabricating and Evaluating the Functionality of 3D Printed Devices for Controlled Drug Delivery for Tissue Engineering and Cancer Vaccination
Controlled drug delivery systems have been utilized to enhance the therapeutic effects of many current drugs by effectively delivering drugs in a time-dependent manner. 
With the aid of 3D printing technology, novel delivery devices can be fabricated to enhance the efficacy of drug therapies over current delivery modalities. The rapid evolution of 3D printing technology is providing a means by which personalized medicine can be a viable option. Using various forms of 3D printing such as extrusion-based printing and stereolithography, the fabrication of various controlled release devices is possible for applications in both tissue engineering and cancer vaccinations. By manipulating printing parameters such as hatching, slicing, and size, along with using different synthetic and natural polymers, we are able to design devices capable of sequential, pulsatile, and sustained drug release. Our results thus far suggest that the type of materials printed and the printing parameters are important in designing structures capable of controlled drug release. With the understanding of how all these components play a vital role in the release kinetics of various drugs and the ability to fabricate complex structures with fine precision and detail, 3D printing technologies provides a method for developing more effective treatment systems that are potentially applicable to a plethora of diseases.