Cambridge Consultants claims the device is as effective as current laboratory laser diffraction measurement machines but for one-hundredth of the cost. The instrument measures the droplet size distribution in an airstream. Droplet size is crucial when developing drug delivery mechanisms for deep-lung treatments. Cambridge Consultants envisages it being used for end-of-line production testing of drug delivery devices, in addition to applications within clinical trials. Dr Robert Jones, senior consultant at Cambridge Consultants said that the device provides "very useful data easily and quickly". The importance of accurate analysis of droplet size becomes clear when one considers how deep-lung treatments work. If the droplet is too large it is unable to penetrate into the depths of the lungs, too small and it is merely exhaled. For pharmaceutical manufacturers both scenarios are equally threatening to the viability of their product. By using the device to test sample batches at the end of a manufacturing line pharmaceutical manufacturers should ensure a greater level of quality control, meaning more effective treatments for patients. This useful application would be irrelevant if the device was not easy to use. Fortunately Cambridge Consultants claim its simplified design allows semi-skilled clinicians with standard IT equipment to use the device. By utilising a combination of LED components and optical configurations in conjunction with modern signal processing applications the number of droplets of varying sizes can be plotted in a highly accurate manner. The device can then be moved to another manufacturing line or clinical trial and owing to its rugged design should not be damaged in transit. Cambridge Consultants is currently working on developing a test unit with the intention of creating a product which could be manufactured in volume for just a few hundred pounds. This development and eventual commercialsiation process is set to continue for the immediate future with Jones saying the company is "now looking for partners with whom to further develop this technology". The search will step up a gear when the device undergoes its first public demonstration at the Respiratory Drug Delivery Conference at Scottsdale, Arizona, USA, from May 11 to 15.
