After pausing for several years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2023 edition of Aerosol School will take place virtually. Students will have access to more than 200 hours of lectures from well-known experts on topics ranging from the basics of aerosol delivery devices to hot topics such as the delivery of macrophages and monoclonal antibodies via inhalation. Registration is now open.
Aerosol School is co-sponsored by the McMaster University Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health, St. Joseph’s Healthcare, and the International Society for Aerosols in Medicine (ISAM). To date, approximately 240 students have completed the program, which previously took place annually as an in-person program at McMaster, starting in 2009.
McMaster professor Myrna Dolovich, Aerosol School’s founder and director, explains that the 2023 virtual version will be asynchronous, with registrants receiving links to view each of the 20 lectures on a private YouTube channel. The videos will be available for students to view over a 4-6 month period, and faculty members will be available to answer questions via email.
Returning faculty for the 2023 Aerosol School include OINDP consultant Jolyon Mitchell, Aerogen Pharma Chief Scientific Officer Jim Fink, Recipharm Director of Inhalation Science and Product Development, and McMaster professors Mark Inman and Helen Neighbour. New faculty members this year include Prof. Melissa Gomez, who is speaking about inhalable mAb formulations and Prof. Zeinab Hosseinidoust, who is presenting a talk on “Bacteriophages as surrogates for infectious viral aerosols.” Another new faculty member, Lynn Jordan of Proveris Scientific, will demonstrate the use of Proveris’ SprayView spray characterization system and Vereo automated actuators.
“It’s been a very beneficial program for those with a variety of pharma experiences,” Dolovich says, “for those who are just starting in the field and those who have been involved in various aspects of development, from performing bench measurements to manufacturing product to assessing clinical effects and to participating in the regulatory approval process. The faculty all have broad experience in the many aspects of the development of systems for providing therapeutic aerosols. Aerosol School provides the opportunity to connect with people who have a lot of experience in the medical aerosol field.”
The full virtual program is available to view here, and Dolovich suggests that bonus lectures may be added in the next few months.
