In addition to several presentations on the improved use and understanding of the Andersen cascade impactor, including talks by Daryl Roberts of MSP Corporation discussing a novel pre-separator base for the ACI and Hendrik Versteeg of Loughborough University who used the CD-adapco STAR-CCM+ simulation software to model ACI start-up kinetics, a number of presenters described novel methods for analyzing inhaled drug formulations and devices.
Lars Karlsson of AstraZeneca outlined his work using acoustic emission data to characterize dry powder inhalers, with the ability to distinguish between filled and empty cavities, as well as to distinguish small differences in the physical properties of batches of inhalers, individual devices, and formulations.
Floris Grasmeijer of the University of Groningen presented his research on the use of coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy for chemical specific imaging of adhesive mixtures, and Peter Seville talked about his group’s use of an optical trap to capture a single particle actuated from an inhaler during Raman spectroscopy under varying humidity conditions in order to evaluate the hygroscopic properties of inhaled drugs.
As always, the meeting included a session featuring the finalists for the annual Pat Burnell New Investigator Award, which is “made to the new researcher who, in the opinion of the DDL Organizing Committee, has not only produced the best research but has shown that they understand and can explain their work, by delivering an excellent presentation.”
The finalists for DDL 26 were:
• Melania Giorgetti, University of East Anglia, UK, “Does Mucin Binding have an Effect on the Inhaled Disposition of ENaC Blockers?”
• Sumit Arora, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), India, “Surface Modified Voriconazole Dry Powder Inhalable Formulation for the Treatment of Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis”
• Ben Myatt, Wolfson School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Loughborough University, UK, “PDA and High Speed Image Analysis of HFA/Ethanol pMDI Aerosols: New Findings.”
• Mathias Mönckedieck, Department of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, Kiel University, Germany, “Influence of Mannitol Carrier Morphology on the DPI Performance of Different APIs”
• Francesco Martinelli, Department of Pharmacy, University of Parma, Italy, “Pharmaceutical Development of Sodium Hyaluronate Respirable Dry Powders for Targeted Drug Delivery.”
