3D Printing Offers Hope for Targeted Cancer Drug Delivery

University of Mississippi researchers develop new 3D-printed drug carriers to concentrate cancer treatments at tumor sites.

Apr. 7, 2026 at 11:38am

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A bold, abstract painting in earthy greens, ochres, and navy blues depicting a highly structured, geometric composition of sweeping arcs, concentric circles, and precise spirals, representing the microscopic 3D-printed drug carriers surrounding and penetrating a tumor, conveying the structural precision and targeted nature of this new cancer treatment technology.3D-printed drug carriers offer a targeted approach to delivering cancer treatments directly to tumor sites, potentially reducing debilitating side effects.University Today

Researchers at the University of Mississippi have developed a new 3D printing technique using spanlastics - tiny drug-filled carriers - that could deliver cancer-fighting medications directly to tumor sites, potentially reducing the severe side effects often experienced with traditional chemotherapy treatments.

Why it matters

Current chemotherapy treatments disperse cancer drugs throughout the body, impacting healthy cells and causing debilitating side effects. Targeted delivery of cancer drugs directly to the tumor site could dramatically improve treatment outcomes and quality of life for patients.

The details

The Ole Miss team demonstrated that 3D-printed spanlastics - microscopic capsules 200-300 nanometers in size - can be filled with cancer-fighting drugs and implanted directly at the tumor site. This allows the medication to penetrate and kill cancer cells while minimizing damage to healthy cells elsewhere in the body.

  • The study was published in Pharmaceutical Research in April 2026.

The players

Mo Maniruzzaman

Chair and professor of pharmaceutics and drug delivery at the University of Mississippi, who led the research team.

Jaidev Chakka

Principal scientist in the School of Pharmacy at the University of Mississippi, who worked on the project.

Elom Doe

A third-year doctoral student in pharmaceutical sciences at the University of Mississippi, who contributed to the research.

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What they’re saying

“Delivering chemotherapeutics is always a nasty business because of the severe side effects that the patients experience. The goal of this publication is: 'How we can minimize those side effects?'”

— Jaidev Chakka, Principal scientist

“Having the drug in an implant, or in our case, a 3D-printed construct, and placing that construct at the tumor sites means we can concentrate the delivery to the tumor area, instead of throughout the whole body.”

— Elom Doe, Doctoral student

What’s next

The researchers caution that this lab-based study is only the first step, and further testing in animal models and clinical trials will be necessary before this technology could be used to treat cancer patients.

The takeaway

This new 3D-printed drug delivery system offers a promising approach to targeting cancer treatments directly to tumors, potentially reducing the debilitating side effects of traditional chemotherapy and improving outcomes for patients.