NEWS

Dr. David Mills, a professor in Biological Sciences and Biomedical Engineering, has received an award for his publication on 3D Printing Custom Bioactive and Absorbable Surgical Screws, Pins, and Bone Plates for Localized Drug Delivery.

The publication was ranked number one in the Journal of Functional Biomaterials 2021 Highly Cited Paper awards.

Along with co-authors Dr. Karthik Tappa, Dr. Udayabhanu Jammalamadaka, and Dr. Jeffery A. Weisman, Mills wrote this publication to address more patient specialized treatment.

“Most medical treatments can be described as ‘one size fits all,” Mills said. “If you have an oral absence, your dentist will prescribe a huge pill. This is to provide a systemic rather than a more focused load.”

This patented method can provide the average person with more localized therapy that reduces any potential toxicity from systemic treatments.

“We wanted to develop a method that would provide a customized and patient-specific treatment,” Mills said. “We call it ‘local and focal,’ providing localized therapy with just the right drug load.”

This work was supported by the Louisiana Board of Regents, the Louisiana Biomedical Research network, and a grant from C-Doctor, Center for Dental, Oral & Craniofacial Tissue & Organ Regeneration.