Launch of the Gutenberg-SMILE Study: No More Tears from Swallowing Pills or Bitter Syrups
Our customer, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, launches a groundbreaking “first-in-human” acceptance study evaluating our novel technology.
"This is how they describe the study:
For the first time, child-friendly medications using ingredients tailored for children can be manufactured with certified quality. In the future, this approach could enable personalized medication with patient-specific dosages, reducing the risk of overdosing and its associated side effects, thereby making treatments safer.
Administering syrups and drops to children often poses challenges. Medications are frequently spat out due to their unpleasant taste. When no child-specific syrups or drops are available, adult tablets must be crushed in pharmacies, supplemented with fillers for appropriate dosages, and placed into empty capsules. Since children often cannot swallow capsules, their contents are mixed into porridge or juice, which may result in inaccurate dosing if powder remains in the capsules, or unknown interactions with the food. With 3D medication printing technology, individualized, safe, and saliva-dissolvable medications designed with age-appropriate ingredients can be created, addressing these challenges.
What is SMILE?
SMILE stands for Smart and Individualized Medication in chILdren and Elderly based on 3D-printing technology. The goal is to provide safe, personalized medication for children and, potentially, for elderly patients with swallowing difficulties.
The study was developed and initiated as a non-commercial project under the Sophia-Kallinowsky Foundation’s endowed professorship. The foundation also funded the study, including the acquisition of a 3D printer in January 2024 for producing patient-specific cytostatic drugs. A second printer for non-cytostatic preparations was funded by University Medicine Mainz in August 2024. Additionally, the project received support from Volksbank Darmstadt Mainz EG.
This study represents a transformative step toward safer and more effective medication for vulnerable groups like children and the elderly, ensuring easier and more precise administration.
The study is being conducted under the direction of Univ.-Prof. Dr. A. Russo (holder of the Sophia Kallinowsky Endowed Professorship for Translational Clinical Research in the Department of Pedagogy. Haemato-Oncology) as a cooperation between the Children's Clinic (Head Univ.-Prof. Dr. J.Pohlenz), the Paediatric Oncology Department (Head of Section Univ.-Prof. Dr. J.Faber) and the Pharmacy of the UM, headed by Univ.-Prof. Dr. I. Krämer and Dr. Marija Tubic-Grozdanis, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Georg Hess (Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors) Director of the III.Med. Clinic and Polyclinic) and Univ.-Prof. Dr. T. Kindler (head of the UCT) with the participation of the IZKS (headed by Dr. med. M. Hopp) and the IMBEI (headed by Univ.-Prof. Dr. K. Strauch)."
Read more here:https://www.uni-mainz.de/
Photo credit; UM / Peter Pulkowski
