WIN
member
Emmanuel
Ho,
an associate
professor
at
the
University
of
Waterloo
School
of
Pharmacy
and
an
international
expert
in
nanomedicine,
is
developing
a
3D-printed
intra-vaginal
ring
(IVR)
that
would
provide
highly
precise
doses
of
medication
to
protect
women
from
getting
HIV,
the
virus
that
causes
AIDS
and
kills
one
million
people
globally
each
year,
according
to
UNAIDS.
“Why
take
[the
drugs]
orally
where
they
can
go
everywhere
in
the
body,
if
we
can
actually
stop
HIV
at
the
site
of
transmission?We
can
potentially
deliver
a
product
that
is
more
effective,
and
we
can
also
reduce
[the
drug’s]
side
effects,”
says
Ho.
The
IVR
is
made
of
medical-grade
plastic
with
hollow
tubing
and
tiny
pores.
Medicine
is
loaded
into
the
ring,
which
is
then
placed
in
the
vagina,
where
it
slowly
releases
the
drugs
to
be
absorbed
by
the
body.
Ho
is
currently
testing
the
delivery
of
a
combination
of
anti-HIV
and
anti-inflammatory
medications
delivered
through
the
IVR.
According
to
Ho’s
collaborator
Keith
Fowke,
professor
and
head
of
Medical
Microbiology
and
Infectious
Diseases
at
the
University
of
Manitoba,
inflammation
in
the
vagina
increases
one’s
risk
of
acquiring
HIV,
because
inflammation
draws
the
immune
cells
that
are
infected
by
the
virus.
Releasing
anti-inflammation
medication
directly
could
mitigate
this
risk.
“If
a
woman
has
high
levels
of
inflammation
in
the
genital
tract,
then
the
probability
of
HIV
infection
is
much
higher,”
says
Fowke.
The
IVR
could
be
adapted
to
deliver
a
variety
of
medications,
including
hormonal
contraceptives.
Ho
says
that
while
rings
of
similar
shape
and
design,
such
as
the
NuvaRing,
have
already
been
approved
for
birth
control
and
hormone
replacement
therapy,
developing
a
3D-printed
model
will
allow
for
more
precise
design
and
drug
delivery.
Another
benefit
of
3D
printing
is
cost
reduction,
Ho
notes.
With
conventional
“hotmelt”
injection
molding,
polymers
are
poured
into
an
aluminum
mold,
creating
“dead
spaces”
in
the
mold
where
material
could
get
stuck
and
be
wasted.
With
3D
printing,
that
kind
of
waste
is
eliminated.
3D
printing’s
ability
to
achieve
very
complex
geometries
makes
it
optimal
for
projects
like
Ho’s
IVR,
says
Conner
Janeteas,
medical
applications
specialist
at
Cimetrix
Solutions.
In
his
work
at
the
division
of
Oakville,
Ontario-based
Javelin
Technologies,
a
leading
3D
design
engineering
and
solutions
provider
across
Canada,
Janeteas
consults
with
hospitals,
universities
and
research
organizations
about
medical
applications
of
3D
printing.
He’s
excited
about
the
technology’s
potential
to
revolutionize
processes
like
drug
delivery.
“With
3D
printing
…
you
don't
have
those
design
compromises
that
you
would
normally,”
says
Janeteas.
“You
can
just
design
for
optimal
outcome
and
rely
on
the
technology
to
help
make
that
feasible.
The
potential
impact
on
the
medical
community
[would
be]
astronomical,”
he
says.
“There
are
many
ways
that
this
technology
could
be
used
to
improve
patient
outcomes
right
now.”
Wednesday, December 18, 2019