Interreg INSIDE 3D - Implementation of personalized medical devices and pharmaceutical products prepared using 3D printing in hospitals

The overall aim of the INSIDE 3D project is to demonstrate the feasibility of in-hospital internalization of 3D printing technologies (I3D) for the manufacture of educational models, medical devices (DM) and drugs as part of personalized medicine. This project will help to better define the place of I3D in the healthcare ecosystem to improve patient care, and to better inform healthcare professionals of the potential uses of I3D for personalized medicine. 

The project will be based around  7 workpackages, 3 of which will provide technological case studies, 1 will deal with socio-economic evaluation, and 1 will address technical and regulatory issues. A management module, followed by a final specific communication module, will enable the results of this project to be disseminated to healthcare professionals and training units, as well as to the general public.

1. The "printing educational models" module will develop a cross-border educational program for practitioners by developing 3D-printed biomimetic models. It will develop realistic demonstration models to better inform patients and the general public about medico -technical procedures. Finally, it will focus on setting up and distributing a cross-border catalog of printable educational models.
    
2. The "medical device printing" module will enable us to set up a cross-border strategy for internalizing I3D for implantable titanium or ceramic medical devices, through the printing of osteosynthesis plates and joint prostheses, as well as dental prostheses. Our approach is based on the use of technology that can be internalized within hospitals.
    
3. The drug printing module will develop pediatric & geriatric controlled-release oral dosage forms using 3D printing, to improve compliance of multimorbid patients with complex drug regimens and to fill a gap in adapted dosage forms. It will also create a database for 3D-printable drugs, enabling hospital pharmacists to select the ideal polymer and optimal parameters for customized formulations according to patient needs.
    
4. The "socio-economic aspect" module will map the players involved in 3D printing for medical purposes in the INTERREG territory, then analyze the ecosystem through the interrelations observed online. It will identify and remove obstacles to dissemination in the regions. It will produce recommendations on the economic model for an intra-hospital 3D-printing strategy and the management of intellectual property.
    
5. The "regulatory aspects" module will aim to draw up a set of regulatory compliance procedures for 3D printing in cross-border hospitals, by setting up a group of Franco-Belgian experts. It will produce technical, regulatory and clinical recommendations for the above-mentioned test cases and for pre-identified 3D-printing projects. Based on a profiling of the case studies, guidelines to facilitate the application of the 3D-printing approach in hospitals will be created.

A total of 11 cross-border partners will be involved in the project. Indeed, the University of Lille has set up an extensive 3D-printing platform to provide suitable resources for the project, Centrale Lille and the CNRS have developed an I3D process capable of being internalized, the BCRC has expertise in the production of ceramics using 3D-printing, and the University of Mons has already been actively working on setting up new methods for 3D-printing. Finally, the University of Vives has already been actively using SLM in healthcare activities, and could produce medical devices as they are made today in the healthcare world. Lille University Hospital will provide the expertise of clinician-researchers and regulatory pharmacists required for these healthcare developments. The University of Ghent and UZ Ghent will provide expertise in each of the modules, on the pedagogical, clinical and pharmaceutical sides, while Certech will play a central role on the phramacological side.

Thanks to this cross-border development approach in France and Belgium, INSIDE 3D's ambition at the end of this program is to provide an answer to the feasibility of internalizing 3D-printing in hospitals, and to pursue 3D-printing development networks in healthcare in the fields of medical education, the development of medical devices and drugs, and the development of regulatory tools necessary for the intra-hospital development of these technologies. This project is based on innovative tools, some of which were developed under the previous INTERREG program.

More infos

For more information, please visit the project’s website at: https://www.inside3d.fr