3D printed pharmaceuticals are gaining traction in the healthcare sector. In this half-day workshop, you will discover why. You will explore this fascinating research with informative talks, a live demonstration of 3D printing tablets, and the opportunity to design and print your own.

Kicking off this workshop is a presentation from guest speaker Dr Jared Miles who will discuss his experience as a pharmacist and 3D printing researcher and explore why 3D printed pharmaceuticals should be brought into the clinic.

You will then rotate through several stations that give hands-on experience with 3D printers producing tablets.

• Functional aesthetics: customisable colour, flavour, texture, and even braille or symbols play an important role in medication usage. Could we reduce medication-related problems by letting patients design their own tablets?
• Polypills: Combining several active ingredients into the same tablet could reduce medication mix-ups for those that need to take many medications every day. Are there any limitations to how many medications we can combine?
• Dose adjustment: Precisely changing the dose of a medication is challenging with commercial pharmaceuticals, but it is very important for medications that cause severe side effects when the dose is increased or decreased too abruptly. How could 3D printing be used to precisely change the dose of a medication?
• The clinician’s perspective: How could doctors and pharmacists work together to use this medication in our hospitals and pharmacies?

Finally, the session will wrap-up by printing and showcasing the tablets that you have designed. This session includes a competition where the winner will come home with their own 3D printer.