NERDG 2026
Poster 21 Abstract
A DoE Driven 3D-Printed T-Junction Microfluidic Platform for Fabrication of Targetable Liposomes in Anticancer Drug Delivery
Akanksha Ugale, Kranthi Gattu, Mattia Tiboni b, Luca Casettari, Ketan Patel
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, St. John's University, Jamaica, NY 11439, USA
Presenting Author: Akanksha Ugale
Corresponding Author: Ketan Patel, [email protected]
Abstract
Microfluidic technologies have transformed the preparation of liposomal drug delivery systems by enabling precise control over particle size, polydispersity, and reproducibility. The 3D-printed T-junction microfluidic devices have been developed as a cost-effective and rapid prototyping solution that offers chemical robustness and overcomes many of the limitations of traditional lithography-based microfluidics. The microfluidic chips enable rapid design changes, good solvent compatibility, and easy scalability, making them well-suited for the development of nanomedicine.
In this work, we have used 3D-printed polypropylene microfluidic chips made via fused deposition modeling (FDM) using an Ultimaker 3 printer. PEGylated liposomes were prepared using controlled nanoprecipitation on this T-junction microfluidic platform, which was optimized with a design-of-experiments (DoE) framework. Liposomes were formed by combining an ethanolic lipid mixture of DPPC:DOPC:cholesterol:DSPE-PEG-2000 (35:35:25:5) with an aqueous phase. An organic to aqueous flow rate ratio of (1:3) and a total flow rate of 8 mL/min were initially standardized, followed by post-processing via probe sonication and solvent removal. The optimized blank formulation exhibited a mean particle size of 80.4 2.5 nm , polydispersity index of 0.18 0.02, and zeta potential of –24.1 3.5 mV, demonstrating the ability of the 3D-printed microfluidic chip to produce uniform, colloidally stable liposomes.
To systematically understand and control critical process parameters, a 2³ factorial DoE was used. Total flow rate, ethanol removal strategy, and sonication cycle parameters were selected as independent variables, while particle size, polydispersity index and % entrapment efficiency were response parameters. This method identifies essential factors that affect liposome self-assembly and processing-related changes.
Liposomes are surface-functionalized via DSPE-PEG-NH₂ with activated folic acid. Moreover, the conjugate was validated using a chromatographic technique. A cellular uptake study is currently being conducted to evaluate folic acid-conjugated liposomes.
The optimized microfluidic DoE framework is used to screen anticancer agents for formulation effectiveness and in vitro activity. Overall, this study establishes a scalable, reproducible, and cost-effective 3D-printed microfluidic platform for targeted liposome fabrication and anticancer drug screening.
Keywords
Design of experiment, 3D-printed microfluidics, Targetable Liposome, Folic acid conjugation
Poster 21 Abstract
A DoE Driven 3D-Printed T-Junction Microfluidic Platform for Fabrication of Targetable Liposomes in Anticancer Drug Delivery
Akanksha Ugale, Kranthi Gattu, Mattia Tiboni b, Luca Casettari, Ketan Patel
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, St. John's University, Jamaica, NY 11439, USA
Presenting Author: Akanksha Ugale
Corresponding Author: Ketan Patel, [email protected]
Abstract
Microfluidic technologies have transformed the preparation of liposomal drug delivery systems by enabling precise control over particle size, polydispersity, and reproducibility. The 3D-printed T-junction microfluidic devices have been developed as a cost-effective and rapid prototyping solution that offers chemical robustness and overcomes many of the limitations of traditional lithography-based microfluidics. The microfluidic chips enable rapid design changes, good solvent compatibility, and easy scalability, making them well-suited for the development of nanomedicine.
In this work, we have used 3D-printed polypropylene microfluidic chips made via fused deposition modeling (FDM) using an Ultimaker 3 printer. PEGylated liposomes were prepared using controlled nanoprecipitation on this T-junction microfluidic platform, which was optimized with a design-of-experiments (DoE) framework. Liposomes were formed by combining an ethanolic lipid mixture of DPPC:DOPC:cholesterol:DSPE-PEG-2000 (35:35:25:5) with an aqueous phase. An organic to aqueous flow rate ratio of (1:3) and a total flow rate of 8 mL/min were initially standardized, followed by post-processing via probe sonication and solvent removal. The optimized blank formulation exhibited a mean particle size of 80.4 2.5 nm , polydispersity index of 0.18 0.02, and zeta potential of –24.1 3.5 mV, demonstrating the ability of the 3D-printed microfluidic chip to produce uniform, colloidally stable liposomes.
To systematically understand and control critical process parameters, a 2³ factorial DoE was used. Total flow rate, ethanol removal strategy, and sonication cycle parameters were selected as independent variables, while particle size, polydispersity index and % entrapment efficiency were response parameters. This method identifies essential factors that affect liposome self-assembly and processing-related changes.
Liposomes are surface-functionalized via DSPE-PEG-NH₂ with activated folic acid. Moreover, the conjugate was validated using a chromatographic technique. A cellular uptake study is currently being conducted to evaluate folic acid-conjugated liposomes.
The optimized microfluidic DoE framework is used to screen anticancer agents for formulation effectiveness and in vitro activity. Overall, this study establishes a scalable, reproducible, and cost-effective 3D-printed microfluidic platform for targeted liposome fabrication and anticancer drug screening.
Keywords
Design of experiment, 3D-printed microfluidics, Targetable Liposome, Folic acid conjugation
