About this Research Topic
Inhalation therapy has long been proven one of the most efficacious routes of drug administration in the treatment of airway diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis, etc. The past decades have seen an emerging interest in the use of the respiratory route for the systemic administration of various drugs and biopharmaceuticals to treat non-pulmonary diseases as well. As for the delivered actives, small molecules are the most delivered active pharmaceutical ingredients in traditional inhalation formulations. There has been increasing interest in delivering biologics through the respiratory tract as alternative treatment options for, but not limited to, various lung diseases.
Pharmaceutical products for inhalation therapy mainly consist of three components: active therapeutic agent, formulation, and delivery system. An extensive, yet still rapidly growing, list of therapeutic biologics such as genes, proteins, peptides, viruses, and cells have been formulated and tested in inhalation formulations. Due to the complexity and fragility of most biological materials, the development process for such formulations usually involves the application of different formulation strategies combined with suitable manufacturing processes to maintain the integrity of the formulated biologics throughout the lifetime of the products. In addition, biocompatibility and bioavailability concerns arise when foreign biological materials are brought into contact with the human airway and lung tissues, which needs to be carefully dealt with for the safe and efficient delivery of the formulated biologics to the targeted sites. The evaluation and selection of suitable delivery systems also remain an important area of study to ensure desired delivery efficiencies and release profiles for these biologic-containing formulations.
This Research Topic aims to present novel and innovative research on the development of inhalation products for the delivery of active biological materials. This includes research and development of novel therapeutic agents, formulation platforms, and delivery systems under the broadly defined scope of respiratory drug delivery for the safe and efficient delivery of therapeutic biologics. We would like to address as well the Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls (CMC) activities associated with the development of inhaled biologics; e.g., the methodology used to characterize and analyze the inhaled biologics.
Original research articles, reviews, perspectives, and mini-reviews are welcome.
Pharmaceutical products for inhalation therapy mainly consist of three components: active therapeutic agent, formulation, and delivery system. An extensive, yet still rapidly growing, list of therapeutic biologics such as genes, proteins, peptides, viruses, and cells have been formulated and tested in inhalation formulations. Due to the complexity and fragility of most biological materials, the development process for such formulations usually involves the application of different formulation strategies combined with suitable manufacturing processes to maintain the integrity of the formulated biologics throughout the lifetime of the products. In addition, biocompatibility and bioavailability concerns arise when foreign biological materials are brought into contact with the human airway and lung tissues, which needs to be carefully dealt with for the safe and efficient delivery of the formulated biologics to the targeted sites. The evaluation and selection of suitable delivery systems also remain an important area of study to ensure desired delivery efficiencies and release profiles for these biologic-containing formulations.
This Research Topic aims to present novel and innovative research on the development of inhalation products for the delivery of active biological materials. This includes research and development of novel therapeutic agents, formulation platforms, and delivery systems under the broadly defined scope of respiratory drug delivery for the safe and efficient delivery of therapeutic biologics. We would like to address as well the Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls (CMC) activities associated with the development of inhaled biologics; e.g., the methodology used to characterize and analyze the inhaled biologics.
Original research articles, reviews, perspectives, and mini-reviews are welcome.
Keywords: Respiratory Drug Delivery, Inhalation Therapy, Pharmaceutical Biologics, Biologics Stabilization, Formulation Development
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