High Resolution X-ray Microscopy as a microstructural characterisation technique
The majority of pharmaceutical powders are required to be less than 500 microns in size for ease of manufacture and biopharmaceutical performance. Powder behaviour of particles in this size range spans cohesive to aeratable powders. Powder performance is not only dependent on the powder bulk density and micromeritic properties of individual particles, but also crucially the structuring of particles within the powder bed. Micromeritic assessment is also routinely performed using image analysis or particle sizing techniques such as laser diffraction analysis. However, there is a clear need for techniques that provide non-destructive microstructural information of pharmaceutical powder structures.
Microstructure (Q3) has emerged as an important topic of consideration in the regulatory science of topical drug products, opening alternative routes to demonstrate pharmaceutical equivalence between different batches of products or between brand and generic products. Yet the challenge in demonstrating equivalence of topical medicines is highlighted by Dry Powder Inhalers (DPI), where the pre-aerosolised formulation, DPI device and patients’ airflow all have an influence on the post-aerosolised formulation that is inhaled by the patient and reaches the lungs. Understanding how microstructure links to processing, properties and performance will enable the powder to be linked to efficacy, but a central part of this is the microstructural characterisation.
This webinar explains how X-ray Microscopy (XRM) is an invaluable, non-destructive technique for microstructural characterisation of pharmaceutical powders. We will present a brief overview of the current landscape of pharmaceutical powder formulations and the challenges associated with microstructural characterisation. We will explain how XRM can provide unique microstructural insight at nano- and micro-scales, with a range of applications including complex inhalation blends. We highlight the power of the technology to characterise particle size, shape, powder bed structure and crystallography, along with interactions between different parts of a formulation.
Who should attend this webinar?
This interactive webinar is designed for all users from both academic and industrial sectors who are interested in powder characterisation. The webinar is suitable for both a technical and non-technical audience and will provide insight into applications of XRM as a microstructural characterisation technique.
In this webinar, you will learn about:
- The importance of pharmaceutical powder microstructure and current landscape of the methods for microstructural characterisation
- X-ray Microscopy (XRM) can provide information on key microstructural metrics as well as the interaction between formulation components
- The unique microstructural insight provided by XRM can help understand powder performance
- A range of applications of XRM to pharmaceutical powder
Presented by:
Dr. Darragh Murnane | Professor of Pharmaceutics, The University of Hertfordshire
Dr. Hrishikesh Bale | Solutions Manager, Engineering Materials, Carl Zeiss Microscopy Inc., Pleasanton, CA
Dr. Parmesh Gajjar | Research Associate, The University of Manchester
