Hot Melt Extrusion and 3D Printing for Enhanced Drug Delivery
A special issue of Bioengineering (ISSN 2306-5354). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanobiotechnology and Biofabrication".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 42
Special Issue Editor
Interests: drug delivery systems; biodegradable polymers; nanomedicine; 3D printing in pharmaceutics; hot-melt extrusion
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Hot-melt extrusion (HME) and 3D printing have emerged as transformative technologies in modern pharmaceutics, offering extraordinary capabilities for fabricating drug delivery systems with precise control over composition, geometry, and drug release kinetics. HME enables the continuous manufacturing of solid dispersions, polymer-based carriers, and tailored dosage forms with enhanced solubility, stability, and bioavailability. When combined with additive manufacturing techniques, these extruded materials can be shaped into highly customizable oral, transdermal, and implantable drug delivery devices, enabling truly personalized medicinal options.
Recent developments in materials science, process engineering, and additive manufacturing have expanded the possibilities of combining HME and 3D printing, paving the way for personalized medicine, on-demand manufacturing, and highly efficient dosage forms. Despite these advances, challenges remain in excipient selection, process optimization, scale-up, regulatory compliance, and achieving predictable in vivo performance.
This Special Issue, “Hot Melt Extrusion and 3D Printing for Enhanced Drug Delivery”, aims to bring together original research articles, comprehensive reviews, and short communications that explore the synergistic potential of these two technologies in pharmaceutical formulation and manufacturing. Submissions are encouraged that address, but are not limited to, the following topics:
- Formulation development and optimization for HME and 3D printing;
- Novel excipients and polymer systems for drug delivery applications;
- Process–structure–property relationships in extruded and printed dosage forms;
- Quality-by-design (QbD) and process analytical technology (PAT) approaches;
- Controlled, targeted, and sustained drug release systems;
- In vitro–in vivo correlation (IVIVC) and performance prediction;
- Scale-up, continuous manufacturing, and industrial implementation;
- Regulatory and quality considerations for HME and 3D-printed pharmaceuticals;
- Clinical translation and case studies of personalized dosage forms.
By compiling cutting-edge research from academia and industry, this Special Issue seeks to advance the scientific understanding, technological innovation, and practical application of HME and 3D printing in drug delivery. Our aim is to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and accelerate the translation of laboratory breakthroughs into patient-centric therapies.
Dr. Sateesh Kumar Vemula
Guest Editor
Nagarjuna Narala
Guest Editor Assistant
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Bioengineering is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- 3D printing in pharmaceutics
- additive manufacturing in pharmaceuticals
- biodegradable polymers
- controlled drug release
- devices for drug delivery
- hot-melt extrusion (HME)
- implantable drug delivery systems
- personalized medicine
- regulatory aspects of 3D-printed dosage forms
- solid dispersions
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
