Ole Miss Researchers Developing AI Guide for 3D-Printed Medications

OXFORD, Miss. — University of Mississippi researchers are developing an artificial intelligence-powered guidebook to help pharmacies produce 3D-printed medications through a new industry partnership.

The international company Colorcon has partnered with Ole Miss researcher Mo Maniruzzaman, chair and professor of pharmaceutics and drug delivery, to create a learning algorithm that helps pharmacists and drug manufacturers use 3D printing more easily.

“Essentially, we’re creating a bank of information, a reference book for drug manufacturing,” Maniruzzaman said. “Creating this AI database will be really useful — not just for Colorcon — but for similar companies and even pharma giants.”

Every medication combines active ingredients, such as acetaminophen in pain relievers, with inactive ones — the binders, fillers, coloring agents and coating materials that hold a pill together. Not all inactive ingredients can pair with every active ingredient, meaning each new drug requires researchers to verify the ingredients won’t interfere with one another.

Maniruzzaman’s lab will build an AI-powered database that pairs the correct inactive ingredients to print whatever medication is needed, a step researchers say could pave the way for widespread use of personalized 3D-printed medication in pharmacies.

“The problem with the conventional dosage form is that the conventional dosage forms are not personalized to the patient,” said Kshitij Chitnis, a third-year doctoral student in pharmaceutics and drug delivery.