Development and Testing of Additive Manufacturing Materials for a Three-Dimensional Ophthalmological Simulator for BioPharmaceutical Assessment

Abstract

This work presents an extension of the doctoral thesis plan aimed at developing and testing additive manufacturing materials for a three-dimensional ophthalmological simulator intended for biopharmaceutical evaluation. The simulator is built using 3D printing technology and aims to accurately reproduce the human ocular environment to evaluate the in vitro performance of drug delivery systems (DDS).
The use of biomimetic models generated through 3D printing allows for in vitro testing of drug release and permeation under physiological conditions similar to those of the human eye. Relative to the original proposal, three development lines are incorporated: fabrication of the simulated corneal structure by electrospinning of polymeric membranes; implementation of a fluid circulation system based on a low-cost, flow-calibrated peristaltic pump; and expansion of the model drugs and tracers. The ultimate goal is to improve the effectiveness and safety of ophthalmological treatments, reducing reliance on animal testing and optimizing the development of new pharmaceutical products for ocular conditions.