Covid-19

The unprecedented nature of the recent COVID-19 outbreak has highlighted the need to develop new systems for more direct treatment of pulmonary diseases. CoM3D proposes to rapidly develop a novel, 3D printed, particulate drug delivery system, to deliver current/future therapeutic agent(s) and novel vaccines directly into lungs of COVID-19 patients, using a patient-specific approach.

Compared with traditional methods of producing such nanoparticles (e.g. emulsion evaporation), advanced 3D printing technology can produce specific geometric sized designed particles in a faster more efficient process, suitable for treatment and vaccination against future seasonal and novel respiratory viruses.

Benefits: This project supports the adaption of a first-of-a-kind 3D printing process to print smart particles with tunable shape and morphology. It offers significant advantages over traditional manufacturing processes including better efficiency and manufacture of personalized unit dosages. Delivering a vaccine i.e. by aerosol, represents a way to match the route of vaccination to the route of infection. This immunisation route offers the scientific advantage of delivering the vaccine directly to the respiratory mucosa, coupled to practical and logistical advantages.