Oriel Therapeutics, Inc. is developing a dry powder inhaler (DPI) technology that will drive a fundamental change in how the majority of aerosol drugs are delivered. The key technological innovations are in the use of techniques for aerosol generation that are specific to the powder and a novel disposable active aerosol generation mechanism. Oriel's DPI could replace pressurized metered dose inhalers (pMDIs) and will decrease development time and costs for new pharmaceutical aerosol formulations. The long-term goal of the Oriel development program is the production of a DPI technology platform that would allow Oriel to partner with pharmaceutical companies with a new molecule for aerosol drug delivery. This application proposes the generation of performance data for the Oriel DPI that will unequivocally support the claim that the Oriel technology is superior to current DPIs and is a viable pMDI replacement. These data will be generated through the formulation of a matrix of model drugs representing a broad range of powder flow properties. These powders will be characterized and the Oriel technology to disperse the formulations built around the measured properties. The technology will then be applied to the generation of critical performance data for the range of formulations.
