Continuous production of celecoxib nanoparticles using a three-dimensional-coaxial-flow microfluidic platform

Preparation of μ-HMX/C-Based Composite Energy Composite Microspheres by Microdroplet Technology

Taking μ-HMX particles as the main research subject, a set of microdroplet sphericalization coating technology platforms was designed and constructed to realize the preparation of composite microspheres by sphericalization coating of μ-HMX. The suspension stability of μ-HMX particles and the mechanism of droplet formation were investigated, and the application effect of nanocarbon materials was also analyzed. The results showed that the prepared sample microspheres all showed a better spherical morphology, as well as good dispersibility; the samples with micron-sized particles for spherical coating had a lower thermal decomposition temperature, a higher energy release efficiency, lower mechanical sensibility, and better combustion performance; the incorporation of CNFs changed the combustion mode of the system, which resulted in the microsphere system of μ-HMX having a good safety performance. The stability and feasibility of uniform spheronization when the dispersed phase is a low-concentration particle suspension system in the spheronization encapsulation process by microdroplet technology were verified.

Microfluidic Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery

Nanoparticles (NPs) have attracted tremendous interest in drug delivery in the past decades. Microfluidics offers a promising strategy for making NPs for drug delivery due to its capability in precisely controlling NP properties. The recent success of mRNA vaccines using microfluidics represents a big milestone for microfluidic NPs for pharmaceutical applications, and its rapid scaling up demonstrates the feasibility of using microfluidics for industrial-scale manufacturing. This article provides a critical review of recent progress in microfluidic NPs for drug delivery. First, the synthesis of organic NPs using microfluidics focusing on typical microfluidic methods and their applications in making popular and clinically relevant NPs, such as liposomes, lipid NPs, and polymer NPs, as well as their synthesis mechanisms are summarized. Then, the microfluidic synthesis of several representative inorganic NPs (e.g., silica, metal, metal oxide, and quantum dots), and hybrid NPs is discussed. Lastly, the applications of microfluidic NPs for various drug delivery applications are presented.

Recent Fabrication Methods to Produce Polymer-Based Drug Delivery Matrices (Experimental and In Silico Approaches)

The study of novel drug delivery systems represents one of the frontiers of the biomedical research area. Multi-disciplinary scientific approaches combining traditional or engineered technologies are used to provide major advances in improving drug bioavailability, rate of release, cell/tissue specificity and therapeutic index. Biodegradable and bio-absorbable polymers are usually the building blocks of these systems, and their copolymers are employed to create delivery components. For example, poly (lactic acid) or poly (glycolic acid) are often used as bricks for the production drug-based delivery systems as polymeric microparticles (MPs) or micron-scale needles. To avoid time-consuming empirical approaches for the optimization of these formulations, in silico-supported models have been developed. These methods can predict and tune the release of different drugs starting from designed combinations. Starting from these considerations, this review has the aim of investigating recent approaches to the production of polymeric carriers and the combination of in silico and experimental methods as promising platforms in the biomedical field.

Recent advances in the design of microfluidic technologies for the manufacture of drug releasing particles

Drug releasing particles are valued for their ability to deliver therapeutics to targeted locations and for their controllable release patterns. The development of microfluidic technologies, which are designed specifically to manipulate small amounts of fluids, to manufacture particles for drug delivery applications reflects a recent trend due to the advantages they confer in terms of control over particle size and material composition. This review takes a comprehensive look at the different types of microfluidic devices used to fabricate such particles from different types of biomaterials, and at how the on-chip features enable the production of particles with different types of properties. The review concludes by suggesting avenues for future work that will enable these technologies to fulfill their potential and be used in industrial settings for the manufacture of drug releasing particles with unique capabilities.