2025 COMPANY PROFILES & CAPABILITIES
For each participating company, this section presents a detailed summary highlighting their core technologies, capabilities, technologies, and services.
FORMULATION FORUM - Nanoparticle Technology for Nose-to-Brain Drug Delivery
Jim Huang, PhD, and Shaukat Ali, PhD, say as we continue our investigation of innovative delivery routes for drug molecules besides the parenteral and oral routes, the IN route remains the future method for drug delivery to the brain.
MULTILAYER PLASTIC VIALS - OXYCAPT™: Contributing to Stability of Cell & Gene Therapy Products
Shota Arakawa, MSc, and Tomohiro Suzuki believe OXYCAPT offers a multitude of benefits to the rapidly growing field of cell and gene therapy products.
DRUG DEVELOPMENT - Targeting the CD40L Pathway to Improve Immunosuppression Therapy & Help Organ Transplants Last Longer
David-Alexandre C. Gros, MD, explains how researchers are targeting strategies in immunosuppression that can help donated kidneys remain healthy and viable for much longer post-transplant, thus alleviating the need for repeat transplants and making more organs available for first-time transplant recipients.
MODIFIED RELEASE - Getting the Right Formula: Using Modified-Release Formulations to Address Complex Challenges in Drug Development
Vanessa Zann, PhD, presents the opportunities and challenges when transitioning from an IR to MR formulation, and reviews the therapeutic benefits and challenges associated with MR formulations, GI physiology environments and API physicochemical properties, technology choices, and how drug developers can achieve translation success.
DIGITIALIZATION PLATFORM - Breaking Down Communication Barriers in Pharma Manufacturing
Andreas Eschbach says a people-centered approach to digitizing manufacturing operations helps ensure the success of any digitalization initiative. But in pharmaceutical manufacturing, having insights into each area of operation is critical to production quality and compliance.
EXECUTVE INTERVIEW - Aptar: Advancing Patient-Centric Drug Delivery & Digital Health Solutions
Gael Touya, President of Aptar Pharma, and Sai Shankar, President, M&A, Strategy, BD, Marketing, Drug Services, Aptar Pharma, discuss the burgeoning potential in the future of pharma and digital health, how the company is a strategic partner to key players in these spaces, and the investments Aptar is making to support the growing demand.
EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW - Lonza: Utilizing Analytical Tools & Predictive Models to De-Risk Drug Development
Drug Development & Delivery recently interviewed Josh Marsh, Bioavailability Enhancement and PBPK Lead Scientist at Lonza, to discuss the benefits of predictive tools and Lonza’s approach.
DRUG DELIVERY - Advancements in Transdermal Delivery Systems: A Focus on Invisicare® Technology for Obesity Treatment
James A. Roszell, PhD, and Doreen McMorran demonstrate how this technology has demonstrated potential in the transdermal administration of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists and cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB-1) antagonists, primarily targeting obesity management and other conditions requiring glucose regulation.
FORMULATION FORUM - Lyophilization Technology - An Enabler for Stable Formulations of Small & Large Molecules
Shaukat Ali, PhD, and Jim Huang, PhD, explain how lyophilization or freeze-drying technology is one of the ideal methods that leads to immobilization of drug and other components that remain in solid or powder state for extended periods without concerns of degradation, and how it has also been applied to improve drug solubility by means of amorphous solid dispersions.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE - Deciding Whether to Automate With AI? 6 Key Practices to Consider
Dan Milczarski believes before deciding if or how to use AI in life sciences, it’s critical to weigh the pros and cons. There is a vital need to customize constantly evolving AI applications and innovations to create tailored, effective technologies that reflect life science organizations’ regulatory and organizational frameworks.
THERAPEUTIC FOCUS - Pushing Boundaries in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Clinical Research
Laura Iliescu, MSc, and Justin Herman, MD, explore the changing landscape of IPF and how biopharmaceutical companies developing novel treatments can effectively navigate the emerging challenges in a rapidly evolving IPF landscape.
CONTROLLED RELEASE - How Advanced Excipient Knowledge is Shaping the Future of Controlled-Release Formulations
Matthias Knarr, PhD, and True Rogers, PhD, review the latest insights behind CR formulations using HPMC excipients and how HPMC substitution specifically can assist formulators in developing cutting-edge CR delivery systems with differentiated performance.
EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW - Respiratory Drug Development: Lonza Experts Share Trends & Key Takeaways
Beatriz Fernandes, Principal Scientist for R&D, and Kim Shepard, Director, Technology Head Respiratory Delivery, at Lonza, discuss their presentations at RDD 2024, current trends, and the future of the inhalation space.
TOPICAL DELIVERY - Direct Effects™ Perampanel (FYCOMPA®): First Topical Anticonvulsant to Treat Seizures, Headache & Other Symptoms in Epilepsy
Ronald Aung-Din, MD, Sasha Feygin, and Daniele La Rosa say Direct Effects topical perampanel is effective in treating headache and other neurological symptoms commonly encountered in patients with seizures and other conditions in which neuronal instability and hyper-excitability exist.
LYOPHILIZATION - Lyo 101: Challenges & Solutions in Lyophilization Cycle Development
Matt Bourassa says as companies continue to pioneer new molecules and treatments, molecule stability has emerged as a persistent detriment to every iteration, and increasingly, lyophilization is an attractive path to a sustainable, repeatable solution.
FORMULATION DEVELOPMENT - Practical & Purposeful: Creating Novel Compounds Via Rediscovery R&D & Cannabinoid Molecules
Mark Bleackley, PhD, says as time goes on, more companies will discover the benefits of drug repurposing – and how to successfully use such strategies to develop new, patentable drug products. In fact, repurposing could be exactly what’s needed to enable pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to more swiftly develop treatments for indications with significant unmet medical needs.
SMI TECHNOLOGY - How Soft Mist Inhalers Support Improved Biopharma Drug Delivery
Nicolas Buchmann, PhD, explores the opportunities and challenges of developing biologic formulations for delivery via SMIs and discusses the importance and impact of partnerships between inhalation device development experts when it comes to facilitating the innovation needed to expand the suitability of SMIs to a wider range of biopharma formulations.
PRECLINICAL/CLINICAL STUDIES - Preclinical Toxicology vs Clinical: Key Considerations in Using Lipid-Based Formulations
Anette Müllertz, PhD, Grace Furman, PhD, and Lisa Caralli say developers should first understand the developability challenges for their molecule, then a toolkit of enabling technologies can be identified to overcome those factors and individually leveraged to create fit for purpose formulations for use in preclinical and clinical studies.
PLATFORM TECHNOLOGY - Developing Novel Antisense Oligonucleotides for Neurodegenerative Diseases
Scott Schobel, MD, and Nicole Datson, PhD, are hopeful their novel platform for targeting disease-causing RNA with multiple modulating approaches will lead to major advances in treating genetic disease and improving the lives of patients and their families in the years ahead.
