Daniela Traini and co-editors Paolo Colombo and Francesca Buttini have launched a new educational text focused on the basic principles of inhalation drug delivery. The text is aimed at incoming respiratory research scientists and postgraduate pharmacy students.

The text covers a range of subjects including formulation of DPI, MDI and nebulisers, basic anatomy, particle engineering and Pharmacopeia testing methodology. The book has been written by leading authors in the field including Paul Young and Daniela Traini; from Respiratory Technology at the WIMR.

The book was published in February 2013 and is available from Wiley-Blackwell (ISBN-10: 1118354125) and Amazon.com

Clockwise from top-left: Particle Sizing Lab, Respiratory Technology Lab (RTL), Advanced Microscopy Suite, RTL

The new Respiratory Technology Lab (RTL) and associated specialist equipment rooms are ready to be commissioned. The main RTL is now complete and has a capacity for 16 personnel with PC2 facilities for particle engineering (e.g. spray-drying, pressurised pMDI filling etc.) in vitro aerosol characterisation and powder/liquid formulation. Additionally, the microscope suite has been completed ready for installation of live-cell and other imaging equipment. The particle size laboratory is commissioned and a Malvern 3000 and Spraytech installed. The thermal analysis suite will be commissioned towards the end of the month along with the HPLC room. 

Polymer sorption and resulting thermal response predicts aerosol performance

The Endeavour Research Fellowship is an internationally competitive scholarship allowing researchers to advance scientific knowledge within their field. Specifically, Jess's fellowship will allow her to spend time at University College London (UCL)-UK, to establish a series of nano-thermal techniques that can be used to predict stability in these pressurised systems. Ultimately, this will result in advanced inhalation formulations. Jess has been awarded a $23,500 fellowship and will conduct this under the co-supervision Dr Simon Gaisford at UCL.

Jess is supported by the Respiratory Technology team at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research (www. respitech.org), and the Faculty of Medicine at the Sydney University (Dept. Pharmacology).

YY (Hui Xin Ong) was invited to present a podium at DDL 2012 in Edinburgh for the Pat Burnell award. This prestigious invitation is only offered to a handful of young researchers each year and YY's talk on 'inhaled ciprofloxacin liposomes' was received with great interest. Concurrently, Jesslynn Ooi received an award for the best poster of the conference for her work on 'HFA drug interactions in the gas phase'.

Both Jess and YY spent time in the UK (at UCL and Kings College, respectively) earlier in the year after being awarded an FP7 supported fellowship. DDL is an annual conference focussed on respiratory technology and has around 300 international delegates. The conference is housed n Edinburgh International Conference centre each December.

 Lisa Wood (Uni Newcastle), Brian Oliver, Daniela Traini and Paul M Young  have been successful in obtaining competitive grant funding from the Thoracic Society of Australia and NewZealand  (TSANZ) to study the implications of high fat diet on asthma. This multi-diciplinary team includes cell biologists, nutritionists and drug delivery experts. Over the next 12 months, they will study the implications of high fat content on asthma and the implications fat has on current inhalation therapies. The TSANZ funding (70,000 AUD) will support this project that will commence early in 2013

A/Prof Young and A/Prof Traini were recently appointed onto the ARC College of Experts.

The ARC College members assess and rank ARC grant applications submitted under the National Competitive Grants Program, make funding recommendations to the ARC and provide strategic advice to the ARC on emerging disciplines and cross-disciplinary developments.

For further information about the ARC College, click here!

Members of Respiratory Technology recently attended the annual Drug Delivery Australia conference (DDA2012) in Melbourne. This two day conference was an amazing success and had around 200 International delegates.

The conferene, this year, backed onto GPEN, and staff and students from the group presented at both events. YY, Mehra, Paul and Dany attended the conference this year. Daniela Traini and Paul Young are currently the Secretary and Scientific Secretary, respectively of the Australian Chapter of the CRS.

For further information about DDA 2012 click here

Ketan, Mehra, YY, Alaa and Eric recently won the 2012 Woolcock Institute Think Tank Challenge with their business proposal focussing on enhancing the profile of the WIMR. Their proposal importantly focusses on engaging the community to promote lung health. They will celebrate with a dinner at a local restaurant in Glebe.