The 27th Drug Delivery to the Lungs (DDL) meeting expects a record number of delegates and exhibitors when the meeting returns to the Edinburgh International Conference Centre December 7-9. And, organizers say, being able to select podium talks from nearly 100 abstract submissions has allowed them to put together a program that offers the best in OINDP research.
DDL committee member David Harris says that he would not be surprised to see 650-700 delegates attending this year’s meeting, drawn by the high quality program, the attractiveness of Edinburgh as a location, and the relaxed atmosphere. Also, he notes, “It’s a pretty good value, for less than £500, you get quite a good opportunity to see and hear new things and meet new people.”
For academics, registration is just over half that amount, and this year’s meeting offers an even better deal for students: the committee has recognized that even a minimal fee can impose a barrier to attendance for university students and has eliminated registration fees for students altogether.
Students will still need to cover their own travel and lodging, though a limited number of travel grants for students and early career researchers are available from the Aerosol Society, which sponsors DDL.
Harris and fellow committee member Phil Haywood explain that the organizers value the fresh ideas that early career researchers bring to the meeting, as exemplified by the finalists for the Pat Burnell New Investigator Award who will present their work in one of DDL’s five podium sessions. The committee received about 20 submissions for the award this year, and all of the finalists are “all very exciting and all a little bit different,” Haywood says.
To put together the remainder of the program, Haywood explains, “We try to create different sessions each year, and we all come up with a bit of brainstorming about what haven’t we heard about for a while, what’s new, what’s interesting, what will excite people.”
This year’s sessions include “Inhalers – were they really meant for humans?”; “Beyond asthma and COPD”; “60 years of the pMDI”; and “Innovations in aerosol delivery.” Podium presentations cover a wide range of topics ranging from the future of MDI propellants to aerosolized chemotherapy to novel formulation strategies.
The program also includes several invited speakers, including Samantha Walker, the Director of Research & Policy and Deputy Chief Executive of Asthma UK, who will deliver a plenary lecture on, “The European Asthma Research & Innovation Partnership – tackling Europe’s high asthma prevalence and death rates.”
Well-known consultant Steve Newman will give the annual DDL lecture, titled, “The challenge of delivering inhaled drugs to the lungs”; his talk will be followed by another plenary lecture titled, “Biologics in Asthma – are we turning the corner?” by Professor Roland Buhl of Mainz University Hospital.
Networking opportunities include coffee breaks, meals, and evening receptions held in the poster and vendor exhibition areas. Nearly 90 companies will show off their products and services in the exhibition hall, with many of the exhibits including interactive activities and competitions. “Gone are the days of everyone having a blue and white tablecloth with a load of plastic bits on,” Harris notes, citing the atmosphere as another reason for the meeting’s large attendance: “People say I don’t want to miss it because it was such good fun last year.”
Among the companies exhibiting at RDD are:
3M DDS, Aptar Pharma, Astech Projects, Capsugel, Coalesce Product Development, Copley Scientific, Gateway Analytical, H&T Presspart, Intertek Melbourn, Livermore Instruments, Molins Technologies, Nemera, Next Breath, Proveris Scientific, and Team Consulting
