From bioprinting hardware to pharmaceutical manufacturing
Researchers at Åbo Akademi University used the Brinter 1 platform with the pneumatic Pneuma Tool to manufacture tailored veterinary dosage forms by semi-solid extrusion. The studies explored a practical route to producing accurate patient-specific medicines closer to the point of care.
Dose defined through digital manufacturing
The published theophylline study reported a strong relationship between designed tablet size and delivered drug amount, while the related gabapentin work used the same Brinter platform architecture to manufacture multiple tailored doses. Together, the studies showed how geometry, material formulation, extrusion parameters and quality control can be connected in a digital pharmaceutical workflow.
- Semi-solid extrusion using pre-loaded syringes.
- Brinter 1 platform with Pneuma Tool pneumatic extrusion.
- Tailored chewable veterinary dosage forms.
- Printing directly on an analytical balance as part of process control.
- Research toward accurate small-batch and point-of-care manufacturing.
From individual studies to a doctoral research programme
The research line developed further into the 2023 doctoral thesis Tailored Doses by Means of Semi-Solid Extrusion-Based 3D Printing at Åbo Akademi University. The thesis brought together work on personalised dosage forms, including veterinary and other tailored pharmaceutical applications, and provides a broader academic record of semi-solid extrusion as a route toward flexible small-batch drug manufacturing.
An early pharmaprinting proof point
This work is an important milestone in Brinter's history because it demonstrates that the same modular manufacturing foundation could be applied to pharmaceuticals, not only biological constructs. It also foreshadowed the company's later emphasis on controlled, traceable and application-specific manufacturing workflows.