TNO and Erasmus MC develop ‘3D Pharma Printer’

In a joint collaborative initiative, Erasmus University Medical Center (Erasmus MC) and TNO, an independent organization for applied research, have developed a specialized ‘3D Pharma Printer’ for research and patient testing in clinical settings, which is now successfully installed at Maasstad Ziekenhuis in Rotterdam. The system ensures the right dose and release profiles of medicines for individual patients, from infants to adults.

“Every day, we struggle to supply the right dose to children. We can really solve some of those problems with this printer,” said Liesbeth Ruijgrok, Paediatric Clinical Pharmacist at Erasmus MC.

An infant weighing a few kilograms requires different medicine doses than an adult weighing 110 kilograms. Yet medicines are only available in a few standard strengths. As a result, hospital staff must manually adjust these doses to suit each patient’s needs. With on-demand medicine production at the point of care, it is now possible to tailor doses specifically to individual patients, allowing for more precise and personalized treatments with greater ease.

The 3D Pharma Printer can produce medicines automatically and on demand, according to the specific and distinct needs of each individual patient. The release profile, size, and shape of the tablet can be customised. In the future, patients who require several medicines could even have them combined in the correct doses into a single tablet.

With the installation of the 3D Pharma Printer in Maasstad Ziekenhuis, production of several medicine formulae can begin. In autumn 2025, Maasstad Ziekenhuis will also begin treating patients with these medicines.