CurifyLabs is a Finnish healthcare company specializing in the development of solutions for the production of personalized medicines in pharmacies and hospitals. Thanks to 3D printing and the inks it has developed, the company offers a complete package for producing patient-specific medications. With its solution, CurifyLabs is changing the way personalized medicines are produced by automating the traditional and costly manufacturing process, making it more efficient. A major milestone in the company’s history has been the transition of its technology from the development phase to practical application in the clinical field. We met with their team to learn more.
3DN: Could you briefly introduce yourself and tell us about CurifyLabs?
I’m Charlotta Topelius, a serial entrepreneur, CEO and co-founder of CurifyLabs. Together with Niklas Sandler Topelius, who is a professor of pharmaceutical technology, we founded the company. Niklas’s mother worked in a hospital pharmacy and his father was a doctor. So from an early age, he was able to observe the challenges related to medicine manufacturing. This inspired him to become a pharmacist and develop a solution for personalized medicine.
Charlotta Topelius and Niklas Sandler Topelius
CurifyLabs, founded in 2021, is a company that develops innovative methods for the production of personalized medicines in pharmacies and hospital pharmacies. Thanks to our innovative and patented process, we enable the production of tailor-made medications that ensure availability, high quality, and compatibility with each patient, such as children and cancer patients.
CurifyLabs is revolutionizing the way personalized medicines are manufactured. We offer an innovative technology that automates drug production, transforming a traditionally manual and time-consuming process into a streamlined, efficient, and precise system. Our product provides an easy-to-use turnkey solution for pharmacists and hospitals, making the production of personalized medicines faster, safer, and more accessible for the patients who need them.
The CurifyLabs team
3DN: Can you explain your product, the Compounding System Solution?
The CurifyLabs Compounding System Solution is a cutting-edge technology that automates the production of personalized medicines. Traditionally, pharmacists manually measure and mix ingredients to create tailor-made medications for each patient. This process is not only time-consuming but also prone to human error and inefficiencies. CurifyLabs’ Compounding System Solution addresses these challenges by significantly speeding up the preparation process, reducing the pharmacist’s workload, and improving both accuracy and quality control.
The result is a safer, faster, and more reliable production of personalized medicines. Additionally, the software generates a digital batch record of the manufacturing process and includes quality information for different APIs. Distribution is done directly on the scale and into the primary packaging to ensure uniform mass in each dose.
The CurifyLabs Pharma 3D Printer
3DN: What are CurifyLabs’ long-term goals?
In summary, our goal is to help millions of people worldwide benefit from better treatments. Our technology addresses global challenges related to the suitability and availability of medicines. It brings personalized treatment closer to the patient and improves patient well-being and care effectiveness, for example, for children and cancer patients. At the same time, the technology helps reduce healthcare costs by optimizing resource use and minimizing medication waste. CurifyLabs’ innovation also enhances operational efficiency, which is essential given the increasing burden on healthcare systems. CurifyLabs enables the company to take a step toward more sustainable, patient-centered care and contributes to the future resilience of healthcare supply chains.
3DN: What are the advantages of 3D printing personalized medicines?
Personalized medicine refers to treatments tailored to an individual’s specific needs. Factors such as genetics, age, sex, allergies, and disabilities can significantly impact how patients respond to medications. Standardized, mass-produced medicines often do not account for these differences, which can lead to ineffective treatments, unwanted side effects, and even serious health risks. For example, children may require medicines without certain additives or in reduced doses, while cancer patients may need precise dosing to ensure effective treatment.
3D Printed Personalized Medicine from CurifyLabs
Although personalized medicines have been used for years, manual compounding in pharmacies has been the predominant method until now. Traditionally, pharmacists mixed ingredients by hand, which allowed for customization but was labor-intensive, time-consuming, and prone to human error. CurifyLabs’ solution automates this process, offering faster medication preparation, reduced workload for pharmacists, and greater accuracy and quality control. Patients benefit from better availability of personalized medicines tailored to their individual needs. This leads to improved treatment outcomes, reduced side effects, and enhanced overall patient safety.
3DN: What are the current challenges related to the use of 3D printing for personalized medicine, and what requirements must pharmacists meet to use your technology?
This is a new technology on the market, and it always takes time to integrate it into existing workflows and budgets. However, the benefits for patients, insurers, and pharmacies are so significant that our clients are seeking alternatives to the manual process. Pharmacies need specific facilities for the production of personalized medicines. Our system is plug-and-play, easy to use, and allows pharmacists to get started in a few hours or less.
Inside the lab at CurifyLabs
3DN: Any final words for our readers?
Our system has been developed by pharmacists, researchers, software developers, and hardware engineers who are familiar with the pharmaceutical industry. We understand the regulated environment and have designed this concept to ensure high-quality treatments that are approved and recommended by regulatory authorities. It took us ten years in the scientific field and several years in the commercial field to develop the final solution. It is now ready and in service. For more information about CurifyLabs, click HERE.
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*Photo Credits: CurifyLabs