The annual Drug Delivery to the Lungs meeting returns to the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC) December 6-8. DDL 2022 attracted a total of more than 1,000 delegates in person and online, and DDL 2023 is also expected to draw a large crowd, says organizing committee member Michelle Dawson. For the first time, DDL will take over the entire EICC, providing more flow between the auditorium, the poster exhibition and the technology exhibition, organizers say. Registration is again available for both in person and online attendance, with free registration once again available for students.
Dawson notes that in addition to affordable registration, the meeting’s focus on scientific content, promotion of early stage researchers, and networking opportunities has contributed to the popularity of DDL. “A lot of people do tell us that it’s very much the go-to conference to attend because they are going to get a lot out of it,” Dawson says.
As with last year’s conference, virtual registration is available, and virtual attendees will have the opportunity to watch a live stream of the talks and to interact with the speakers. For face-to-face delegates, the conference will also offer the opportunity to view more than 100 posters; to visit with more than 100 exhibitors; and to network with hundreds of OINDP specialists.
Dawson points out that virtual attendance is very beneficial for people who are unable to travel to attend the meeting; although, she notes, “We very much encourage, where possible, people to come and join in person because not only are you getting access to the posters and exhibition, there’s a huge networking opportunity and the drinks receptions, that’s where you get the atmosphere and the vibrancy of the conference.” For early career researchers and PhD students, she adds, extra networking opportunities will be provided through the New Researcher Network, “offering a forum for them to connect both internally within the network and with others,” with events including a “speed networking” lunch and an evening reception.
She also points to DDL’s commitment to programming as an opportunity to “educate and also to stimulate” as well as advancing the science of inhaled and nasal drug delivery through research grants. “We are a not-for-profit conference,” she stresses, “and what we get in, we either spend on the conference or we look to use to progress the scientific community via grants.” According to DDL, the conference has awarded £56,000 in 2023 in funding for research projects through its Career Development grants.
Several major awards will be presented during the meeting itself. The DDL 2023 scientific program will kick off with the presentation of the annual DDL Lecture, which is described as “a prestigious accolade bestowed on individuals who have contributed much to the field of respiratory science.” This year’s lecture has been awarded to Daniela Traini of the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research who will deliver a talk titled “Of Mice and Men: Correlation and Clinical Relevance of Animal Models and Nonclinical Tests for Inhaled Pharmaceuticals.”
