Problem
Nebulizers produce an inhalable mist for localized drug delivery and are used to treat lung diseases including COPD and cystic fibrosis. The mist produced by the nebulizer is composed of droplets of a defined size, and droplet size and velocity dictate the efficiency of nebulized drug delivery. Currently available commercial nebulizers utilize a single mesh design with a fixed hole size/porosity in the mesh, producing a mist composed of similarly sized droplets. This may result in the droplets not targeting the required area of the lung to effect treatment Dr. Hugh D.C. Smyth and his team have developed a variable, vibrating mesh nebulizer device for use in a variety of drug delivery applications.
Solution
The technology developed by Dr. Smyth’s team is a variable, vibrating mesh nebulizer device that detects the velocity of inhaled air and activates different sets of meshes with different pore sizes in the device to actively tune the droplet to provide the correct aerodynamic characteristic to reach the targeted lung tissue. In addition to providing the right droplet size for each patient and drug, this technology functions as a metered-multi-dose nebulizer. The nebulizer actively measures the amount of drug delivered from the device, providing a controlled inhalation process to deliver precise amounts of a drug during each inhalation. The innovative nebulizer technology actively turns off meshes and aerosol output as inhalation velocity approaches zero, remaining in the off position during exhalation, dramatically reducing product waste and improving overall delivered dose efficiencies.
This variable, vibrating mesh nebulizer can be used by any patient requiring inhalation treatment with any type of medicine to treat pulmonary disease (e.g., pulmonary arterial hypertension, asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, COPD) as well as infectious diseases (e.g., tuberculosis, pneumonia, influenza, RSV, and possibly SARs-CoV-2). The nebulizer can be used at home by patients, decreasing the need for hospital-based care.
About the Inventor
Dr. Hugh Smyth is the Alcon Centennial Professor for the College of Pharmacy at The University of Texas at Austin and an Adjunct Associate Scientist at the Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Dr. Smyth has published over 150 peer-reviewed publications, is an editor of three books, and has obtained more than 20 patents or patent applications. The focus of his work has broad applicability in the medical sector, including research and development focused on novel drug delivery devices for respiratory, nasal, ophthalmic, transdermal, and topical systems.
