Liquid Aerosol Drying for Stable Dry Powder Inhalation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current dry powder inhalers face challenges such as instability of stored particles under high humidity, need for excipients for dispersion, size limitations of drug particles, low efficiency in delivering active agents to the lungs, and variability in dose administration due to inhalation rate, leading to efficacy and safety concerns.
Innovation Solution
A compact device that generates a liquid aerosol, dries, and concentrates it into respirable dry particles with a density less than 1, eliminating the need for excipients and spray-drying, using a heated counter-flow gas jet and infrared radiation to enhance evaporation and concentration, while minimizing pressure drop and allowing for easy assembly and portability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If spray-drying process is used to generate dry powder inhalers, then particles can be produced, but the stored resultant dry particles are unstable under high humidity and require excipients for dispersion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses direct evaporation of liquid aerosol to dry particles in a single step, avoiding the spray-drying process that creates humidity-sensitive particles. The liquid aerosol is evaporated directly to form stable dry particles without requiring excipients for protection against humidity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent eliminates excipients from the formulation by using a different aerosolization approach. The active agent is delivered pure without additives, removing the need for dispersion aids and reducing formulation complexity
2Productivity
If dry powder inhalers are used, then aerosolization can be achieved, but the efficiency of delivering active agent to lungs is low (30% efficiency)
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses continuous liquid aerosol generation and evaporation to deliver active agent, maintaining continuous useful action from aerosol formation through evaporation to lung delivery, avoiding the intermittent capsule-based approach of DPIs that results in significant drug loss
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state parameter from dry powder to liquid aerosol, which allows for more efficient aerosolization and delivery. The liquid state enables better atomization and more consistent particle size distribution, improving lung delivery efficiency
3Weight of moving object
If compact portable device is designed, then portability is improved, but the drying and concentration processes become more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines aerosol generation and evaporation drying into a single integrated process within a compact device. The liquid aerosol is generated and evaporated in sequence within the same portable unit, eliminating the need for separate spray-drying equipment and enabling compact design
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex mechanical spray-drying systems with a simpler liquid aerosol evaporation process. This substitution allows for a more compact and portable device design while achieving the same goal of producing dry particles for inhalation
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device achieves efficient delivery of high masses of active agents to the lungs with reduced particle size variability, improved stability, and increased portability, enhancing the delivery of biologics and other agents directly to the respiratory tract.
Implementation Method 1
a heated counter-flow gas jet coaxial in opposite direction to that of the aerosol plume
Implementation Method 2
a heated counter-flow gas jet coaxial in opposite direction to that of the aerosol plume
Implementation Method 3
provision of infrared radiation from a source outside the evaporation chamber
Implementation Method 4
provision of infrared radiation from a source outside the evaporation chamber
Implementation Method 5
generating an aerosol at the top of a vertical cylindrical tower
Data Source
AI summary
A method of aerosolizing a liquid by generating an aerosol from a liquid fluid and a gas with a nozzle having a cone-shaped gas exit channel, the method including the method steps of: ejecting a nozzle gas jet through an orifice at the cone apex; generating a zone of low pressure by the ejected nozzle gas jet, the zone of low pressure augmenting a flow of liquid fluid in a direction from a nozzle cone base towards the orifice at the cone apex; and aerosolizing the liquid fluid at the aerosolizing perimeter where the liquid fluid that flows towards the orifice is sheared by the nozzle gas jet.