#Working3D: Six Questions for a Pharmaceutical 3D Printing Researcher

Additive manufacturing in the medical sector is continuously improving and progressing. Innovations and applications are flourishing, demonstrating the potential of 3D technologies to improve the daily lives of many patients. The pharmaceutical field is no exception, and the gradual launch of several different forms of 3D printed medication is testimony to the advances being made. The use of 3D printing makes it possible, among other things, to create medicines with personalized dosing of active ingredients, to combine several drugs in a single tablet according to the needs of each patient, and to modify their shape and consistency to make them more suitable, for example, for children or the elderly. To find out more about this world and what it means to work in 3D printing research for the pharmaceutical industry, we interviewed Liam Krueger, a PhD student specializing in pharmaceutical 3D printing at the University of Queensland.

3DN: Could you introduce yourself?

Hi, my name is Liam Krueger, I’m a pharmacist and final year PhD student studying 3D printing of pharmaceuticals at the University of Queensland, Australia. I finished my pharmacy degree in 2020 and went straight into my PhD. Although I’m nearing the end of this chapter, I’m still very passionate and motivated to continue my research.

Liam Krueger, center, with colleagues from the University of Queensland.

3DN: How did you discover additive manufacturing?

When I was a pharmacy student, my research supervisor, Professor Amirali Popat, who is now my thesis supervisor, was working on an extrusion and fused deposition modeling project, which appealed to me. Since then, we have considerably expanded our 3D printing section, with two hot-melt extruders and a dozen 3D printers.