3D4 Pedia: "printed" medicine closer to patients
Winner of the Companies and Campusthe 3D4 Pedia project is developing a technology for producing drugs using 3D printing. The result of collaboration between theInstitut Charles Gerhardt Montpellier (CHU de Nîmes/UM) and the MB Therapeuticsthis innovative process enables tailor-made dosages, mainly for children.
In the world of pharmaceutical research, this is a giant step forward. " It's been almost 50 years since there's been a breakthrough innovation in drug production," sums up Ian Soulairol, to appreciate what's at stake. A researcher at ICGM (Institut Charles Gerhardt Montpellier), co-founder of MB Therapeutics, and head of the drug production unit at CHU de Nîmes, the pharmacist is one of the pioneers of drug development using 3D printing. Thanks to the 3D4 Pedia project, the first treatment of this type could enter the market as early as 2027, aimed at young patients suffering from cardiac pathologies.
Navigating between Montpellier and the CHU in Nîmes, Ian Soulairol has been working on this new tool since 2017. "The techniques I'm developing have nothing in common with what's been tried before. My aim is to ensure that they can be used as close as possible to the patient, in order to make a medicine that is adapted to each case", explains Ian Soulairol. Composed of a paste capable of containing the excipients and active ingredients of the treatment developed, this innovative ink offers an infinite range of dosing options. A godsend in the field of pediatrics, where greater precision is required due to the fragility of the target population. "When treating a child, you have to constantly adapt to variations in weight and age, and the drugs available on the market are fairly limited. What's more, there has never been a sustained-release treatment suitable for children, but thanks to its modularity, 3D printing makes it possible," the researcher details.
"Without PUI, I would have had trouble keeping my commitments".
To accelerate the development of the project and be able to produce the ink in industrial quantities, Ian Soulairol and Stéphane Roulon decided to create MB Therapeutics in 2023. It is through this company that the team will produce the ready-to-use paste and the machines. " The idea is then to be able to print the molecule locally, in pharmacies and university hospitals," he explains.
Supported by the Companies and campus program, a call for projects led by the Pôle Universitaire d'Innovation de Montpellier, of which it was the winner at the end of 2023, the 3D4 Pedia project has benefited from a budget of 25,000 euros to strengthen its staff. In 2026, once the printing process has been validated, the team will conduct tests on product stability, before tackling industrial transfer. In the meantime, the first cartridges should be on the market by early 2027, and in the near future, some fifty molecules could be re-exploited and more finely dosed thanks to this technology...
Supported by the city of Montpellier, which has welcomed MB Therapeutics to its premises at Le Millénaire, the 3D4 Pedia project has benefited from a fine union of forces between the University of Montpellier and the Nîmes University Hospital, where Ian Soulairol works as head of the drug production unit. It's a fertile set of partnerships, in the bosom of the Pôle Universitaire d'Innovation (PUI), and one that the researcher applauds with both hands: "Without it, I'd have found it hard to keep my commitments".