Inhaled drug delivery is a crucial route for administering pharmaceuticals, particularly for respiratory conditions like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and infectious diseases. This route offers several advantages, including rapid onset of action, localized drug delivery to the affected areas of the respiratory system, and reduced systemic side effects. In preclinical research, inhaled drug delivery allows scientists to investigate the efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics of novel compounds, as well as to model and explore the mechanisms underlying respiratory disease.
SCIREQ offers turn-key solutions for advancing preclinical research in the field of inhaled drug delivery:
Inhalation Delivery of Interferon-λ-Loaded Pulmonary Surfactant Nanoparticles Induces Rapid Antiviral Immune Responses in the Lung. (2024). Gil., C.H., et al. Applied Materials & Interfaces, https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.3c13677
Development of alternative in vitro and ex vivo models for testing of inhalable antibiotics – InhalAb.”Wronski, S., et al. (2020). Models of Lung Disease Workshop 2020, Hannover (Germany)
Ventilator Assisted Drug Delivery (VAAD) is a hybrid between nose-only inhalation and intratracheal instillation. The approach consists in intubating the subject and using optimized computer-controlled ventilation profiles to administer the inhaled compound deep into the subject’s lungs, over several breaths. This strategy minimizes subject-to-subject variability, and fosters a highly homogenous aerosol deposition within the lung. It further allows researchers to measure the lung function of the subject prior to and post administration. VAAD can therefore be used for drug delivery and disease modelling (e.g. for IPF studies with Bleomycin).
The expoCube is a novel Air Liquid Interface (ALI)/Transwell in vitro exposure system which permits highly reliable and effective deposition of aerosols onto cells and tissues. This exposure takes advantage of Thermophoresis, which guides small particles and gas onto the target tissue through a temperature gradient and increases the deposition rate from 2% to ~40%.
Developing Inhaled Cannabis Product Methods for in vitro Toxicological Assessment. Wilson, E., et al (2023). SOT 2023
A novel microfluidic platform for pulmonary nanoparticle exposure .Kiss, F.M et al. (2021). 11th edition of the World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences, virtuel congress, Maastricht, Netherlands
“Intermittent exposure to whole cigarette smoke alters the differentiation of primary small airway epithelial cells in the air-liquid interface culture”, Gindele, J.A, et al. (2020). Scientific Reports volume 10, Article number: 6257
Cigarette smoke exposure disrupts epithelial barrier function and impairs antiviral immune response to influenza infection ex vivo. Böhlen, S. et al. (2020). Models of Lung Disease Workshop 2020, Hannover (Germany)
The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) recent Roadmap to Reducing Animal Testing in Preclinical Safety Studies marks a pivotal shift toward the adoption of innovative, human-relevant methodologies commonly known as New Approach Methodologies (NAMs).
Asthma remains a complex and multifactorial disease, with airway hyperresponsiveness to methacholine being a hallmark feature. A recent study by Rojas-Ruiz (2025) utilizes SCIREQ’s innovative physioLens (ex vivo) and flexiVent (in vivo) platforms to shed light on the interplay between lung tissue compliance and methacholine response, offering new insights into the mechanisms driving asthma pathology.
As cannabis use increases, so does the availability of products marketed as safe alternatives to smoking. One of these products is the dry herb vaporizer, which heats the cannabis flower without burning it. This process releases cannabinoids for inhalation. But how safe are these products?
For five years since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the scientific community delved deep into the mysteries of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, to understand its impact on our health and develop antiviral therapies and vaccine.
Obesity is a metabolic condition resulting from an imbalance between the energy consumed and the energy expended. This is often caused by an increase in the intake of calorie-dense foods and a decrease in physical activity, leading to an abnormal build-up of fat. Such fat accumulation can have serious health consequences, raising the risk of chronic diseases like cardiovascular conditions, diabetes, and some cancers. It is usually associated with a higher prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and asthma.
Obesity is a significant contributor to respiratory disorders such as Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome (OHS) and sleep apnea, both of which are characterized by reduced respiratory chemosensitivity. These conditions not only impair breathing but also exacerbate the health risks associated with obesity.
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