New Precision Powder Dispensing Technology May Improve Patient-Specific Dosing Capabilities

Cambridgeshire-based technology spin-out company, GiroNEX, has unveiled the initial details of its latest precision powder dispensing technology that it claims may provide the pharmaceutical industry with an increased ability to offer patient-specific dosing for the treatment of specific conditions.

The technology is capable of dispensing pharmaceutical, or other chemical, powders from 0.1 mg to 5 g into vials or capsules with a reported accuracy of 2% or better. This approach has been designed specifically for the regulated production environments with potential fast-growth opportunities. These include environments using localized manufacturing to enable pharma companies to offer more tailored treatments, for example.

"GiroNEX has developed its new precision powder dispensing technology based on parent company GB Innomech’s experience in developing bespoke automation for some of the world's top healthcare companies. The technology is robust and reliable, and offers a powerful combination of high performance, ease-of-use, and low operating costs for use in a broad range of pharmaceutical R&D and manufacturing applications," said James Veale, technology development engineer at GiroNEX, in a press release.

The new technology employs a powder dispensing mechanism that gently oscillates, thereby allowing for the dispensing of sensitive powders without damage. Additionally, it uses a series of interchangeable dispensing heads in order to cover the typical mass range for powder dispensing.

Furthermore, the company has revealed that the system software for the technology has been based on an algorithm that learns how best to dispense new powders during the dispensing process. This may mean that users of the technology will not need to invest in research and development time and resources prior to dispensing.

Presently, GiroNEX has developed a prototype research and development laboratory-based system, which uses a Sartorius weigh cell to display weights to the nearest microgram. The data are then transferred wirelessly to a dedicated system tablet.

It is expected that the first laboratory system will be taken into production in the first quarter of 2019. However, the company has specified that it will continue to develop the core technology for more advanced applications at the same time.

Source: GiroNEX