The 2011 Drug Delivery to the Lungs (DDL) Conference, which takes place December 7-9 in Edinburgh, UK, will highlight a particularly strong field of scientific presentations from both established industry experts and up-and-coming young researchers, according to DDL committee member and Treasurer, Mark Hammond. In addition, Hammond says, this year’s conference will introduce some new features designed to benefit attendees and exhibitors.
DDL features more than 70 exhibitors
This year, an optional International Society of Aerosol Medicine (ISAM) workshop will take place immediately preceding the conference, on Wednesday, December 7 from 7a.m.-12:30p.m titled “Lung Imaging Standardization – Consensus Statement Workshop”. The program will present a report from the Committee to Standardize Lung Imaging Techniques. The workshop requires separate registration and an additional fee for attendance.
On Wednesday afternoon, approximately 450-500 attendees are expected at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre, where Professor Peter Barnes of Imperial College London will deliver the inaugural DDL Lecture to open DDL 22. Professor Barnes, whose talk will describe “New Drugs and Targets in COPD,” has published more than 1,000 peer-reviewed papers on Asthma, COPD, and other airway diseases and is a member of the Scientific Committee of the WHO/NIH global guidelines on asthma (GINA) and COPD (GOLD).
Georgina Fradley, DDL Chair and Omar Usmani, DDL Vice-Chair
Another highlight, say the organizers, will be the presentation in the Thursday morning session on choosing an appropriate aerosol delivery device by Professor Myrna Dolovich of McMaster University and the Firestone Institute of Respiratory Health. Professor Dolovich’s research involves investigations into the behavior of therapeutic aerosols in patients, with special interest in the measurement of drug delivery to the lung using 3D PET imaging. She has over 140 publications in the medical literature and has spoken extensively on pulmonary drug delivery systems and imaging. In 2009, she started Aerosol School, a two-day teaching program with practical laboratory experience in aerosol basics, aerosol measurements and techniques, including applications to research, pharmaceutical laboratory and clinical settings.
In addition, approximately 30 researchers will present research related to inhaled drug delivery from the podium. “The quality of the scientific papers this year is looking really strong,” says Hammond. Podium session themes include:
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Disease States beyond Asthma and COPD – to Inhale or not to Inhale?
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Choosing your Device – the Right Tool for the Job
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The Biological basis of Inhaled Drug Delivery: Getting to know the Respiratory Tract
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Physical and Physico Chemical Properties of an Inhaled Drug – what should they be?
