Microfabrication Methods for Biodegradable Polymeric Carriers for Drug Delivery System Applications: A Review

A drug delivery system is used for targeting drugs to specific cells. Various drug carriers, that also reduce the side effects of unbound drugs, have been introduced and commercialized in the pharmaceutical field. Among them, synthetic biodegradable polymers have received much attention attributed to their low toxicity, controllable biodegradation rates, manufacturability, and low costs. This paper reviews the salient characteristics of biodegradable polymers as drug carriers and their microfabrication methods. The reviewed microfabrication methods include laser micromachining, rapid prototyping, replication, emulsification, microfluidic fabrication, and X-ray-lithography-based methods. For these microfabrication methods, critical dimensions, feature variety, solvent compatibility, production throughput, and tooling requirements are also summarized.