Case Study: Pfizer achieves faster, more reliable arthritis drug development with MakerBot 3D printing

Efficiently Developing Arthritis Drugs with a MakerBot 3D Printer

Pfizer’s scientists at their Groton research center faced a critical lab challenge while developing osteo- and rheumatoid-arthritis treatments: micro‑CT scans of 1.5 cm rat tibia samples required exact, repeatable positioning, but no commercial holder existed. Lab-made holders failed 40% of the time and outsourcing a custom iteration would cost $2,000–$3,000. To solve this, scientist Tim Winton used a MakerBot Replicator Desktop 3D Printer (MakerBot) and AutoDesk 123D Design to prototype a purpose-built bone holder in‑house.

Using the MakerBot Replicator, Winton completed 10 design iterations to produce a dense, nonmetallic holder with precise, repeatable notches that eliminated the prior failure rate, reduced scanning time by about one hour, and greatly cut rescans and downstream image sorting. The MakerBot solution replaced expensive outsourced parts (saving thousands of hours and tens of thousands of dollars across studies), required only $48 for a spool of PLA filament per many holders, and delivered the consistent, low‑cost production capacity Pfizer needed.

Pfizer

Robert Chapin

Senior Research Fellow in Developmental and Reproductive Toxicology