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News|Webcasts|October 5, 2026
Cracking the Gut Wall: The Platform Behind Oral Peptide and Small-Molecule Delivery
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Webinar Date/Time: Fri, Oct 30, 2026 11:00 AM EDT
Oral GLP-1 approvals proved small molecules can replace injections. This webinar explores the permeation-enhancer platforms making oral peptide delivery possible, with experts on scaling it to commercial reality.
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Event Overview:
The FDA approval of orforglipron proved that oral small-molecule GLP-1 therapy is commercially viable, but the harder engineering story is what's happening underneath it: permeation-enhancer platforms that let poorly absorbed molecules survive the gut and cross the intestinal wall. What was once a bespoke, molecule-by-molecule fix is becoming reusable infrastructure, reshaping how formulators, excipient manufacturers, and regulators approach oral delivery of drugs once considered injectable-only. This webinar brings together experts spanning formulation science, excipient manufacturing, and regulatory/CMC strategy to unpack what's driving this shift. Panelists will discuss the mechanics of lipid-based formulations and enteric capsule systems, what changes when these technologies move from lab bench to commercial-scale manufacturing, and how regulators are evaluating novel permeation-enhancer excipients in a post-orforglipron landscape.
Key Learning Objectives:
- How permeation-enhancer platforms enable oral delivery of once injectable-only peptides
- Manufacturing hurdles scaling from lab to commercial tablets
- Regulatory landscape for novel excipients, incl. orforglipron precedent
- Platform vs. molecule-specific: what it means for strategy
Who Should Attend:
- Formulation scientists/R&D leaders working on oral peptide/biologic delivery
- CMC/regulatory affairs professionals on excipient qualification and CMC strategy
- Process development/scale-up engineers moving formulations to commercial production
- Excipient suppliers tracking permeation-enhancer demand and regulation
- BD/strategy leads evaluating oral vs. injectable platforms
- Researchers studying intestinal permeation, absorption modeling, or IVIVC
Speakers:
Alex Abramson, PhD
Assistant Professor - Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department
Georgia Institute of Technology
Alex Abramson, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering department at Georgia Tech. His research, which focuses on drug delivery and bioelectronic therapeutics, has been featured in news outlets such as The New York Times, NPR, and Wired. Dr. Abramson has received several recognitions for scientific innovation, including being named a member of the Forbes 30 Under 30 Science List and the MIT Technology Review Innovators Under 35 List. Dr. Abramson is passionate about translating scientific endeavors from bench to bedside. Large pharmaceutical companies have exclusively licensed a portfolio of his patents to bring into clinical trials, and Dr. Abramson serves as a scientific advisor overseeing their commercialization. In addition to his scientific endeavors, Dr. Abramson plays an active role in his community by leading Diversity Equity and Inclusion efforts on campus and volunteering as a STEM tutor to local students. Prof. Abramson received his B.S. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Johns Hopkins University and his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from MIT as an NSF Graduate Research Fellow under the direction of Profs. Robert Langer and Giovanni Traverso. He conducted postdoctoral work at Stanford University as an NIH fellow with Profs. Zhenan Bao and the late Sanjiv S. Gambhir.
David Brayden, PhD, DSc, FCRS, FAAPS, MRIA
Professor of Advanced Drug Delivery
University College Dublin
David Brayden is a Full Professor of Advanced Drug Delivery at University College Dublin. David obtained his PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Cambridge, UK, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University, CA, USA. He then spent 10 years as a senior scientist at Elan Pharmaceuticals from 1991-2001 working on oral drug delivery. He is the author or co-author of more than three hundred research publications and patents in the areas of oral peptide delivery and nanomedicine. David was elected as a Fellow of the Controlled Release Society (CRS, 2012), the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS, 2017), and the Royal Irish Academy (2024). He is a co-lead PI on the Research Ireland RINN Centre for Medical Devices (CURAM) (2026-2034). He is also the current coordinator of BUCCAL-PEP, an EU Horizon Europe grant on buccal administration of peptides, (2023-2026). David is the Chief Editor of Frontiers in Drug Delivery and is Chair of Ireland's National Research Ethics Committee (Clinical Trials D). He was awarded a DSc for published works in 2026 from the National University of Ireland.
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