6. On-Chip Fabrication of Drug Delivery Systems

The chapter provides an overview about the fabrication of drug delivery systems with microfluidic devices. Different microfluidic approaches are presented, describing the basic fabrication principles and highlighting representative examples. Diffusive mixing is preferentially used for controlled precipitation of small particles down to nanometer size. Particles can be collected in suspension or directly be spray dried with specific devices. Emulsion-based approaches are utilized for direct use of liquid emulsions and as templates for semisolid or solid systems ranging from polymer particles and hydrogels up to complex capsules and vesicles. In addition, scale-up approaches for microfluidic devices and recent development of delivery systems based on microfluidic devices for attachment to or implantation into the human body for controlled drug delivery over longer time intervals are presented. Finally, a future perspective is given discussing advantages and challenges of microfluidic approaches for safe and effective drug delivery.