Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the American University of Iraq-Baghdad (AUIB), Dr. Baher Daihom, contributed to the 82nd FIP World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, held in Cape Town last September, a presentation on the application of 3D printing and nanodevices in the treatment of osteosarcoma (bone cancer).

Dr. Daihom’s presentation focused on cutting-edge techniques, namely 3D Printing and Nanomedicines, in the development of innovative drug delivery systems and their potential in advancing personalized treatment approaches for bone cancer patients. The presentation captured the interest of leading experts in the field and spurred discussion at one of the largest and oldest Congress of pharmacy practitioners.

Dr. Daihom explained that the novel approach to treating bone cancer on which he is conducting research aims to avoid the fragility of bone structure or even possible disability that osteosarcoma patients usually suffer as a result of traditional treatment, as well as to significantly reduce the quantity of chemotherapy taken, thus reducing its harmful effects on the entirety of the body. This is basically achieved by replacing the affected bone mass removed by surgery with a 3D-printed filling that exactly matches the dimensions of the removed tissue, and that has characteristics enabling the use of the filling itself as a direct vehicle to chemo-medication contained in nanodevices, as well as allowing the regeneration of bone tissue that would gradually replace the filling as the latter degrades.