Pre-formulation, Material Characterization, and Particle Engineering

Pre-formulation, Material Characterization
This constitutes the 1st few phases of drug product development and involves the establishment of pertinent physico-chemical, mechanical and biological properties. Proper pre-formulation studies can facilitate subsequent process optimization and exploration of novel product lines. As pre-formulation studies are often laborious and costly, we are continually developing better tools to expedite this process and predict the performance in their respective unit operations.

Particle Engineering
Particle engineering and surface modification of starting materials are useful to improve morphological presentations and physico-mechanical properties. These techniques help to overcome common problems that arise in downstream pharmaceutical unit operations, particularly, hopper flow, particle/granule coating, compaction and milling behavior. Additionally, we are investigating the design of porous particles to serve as carriers for drug powder inhalers.