| Outcome/accomplishment:
At the Center for Structured Organic Particulate Systems (CSOPS), an NSF-funded
Engineering Research Center (ERC) based at Rutgers University, researchers
are partnering with the Center’s industry members to create “continuous
manufacturing technology” for commercial use, optimize it for pharmaceutical
companies, and expand the range of products that can be made with these
systems.
Impact/benefits:
For CSOPS’ partners in the pharmaceutical industry, continuous manufacturing
technology promises increased speed, efficiency, and standardization in
the making of key drug products such as tablets and capsules. Several
member companies have expressed interest in putting the technology in place
once it is developed.
Explanation/ background:
Based on earlier successes in developing and demonstrating the elements
of this system, CSOPS was awarded a “translational research” award by the
ERC Program to speed the commercialization of continuous manufacturing
technology. This three-year project, carried out with the help of
member companies in the pharmaceutical sector, aims to create, optimize,
and expand the range and reliability of products that can be made with
these manufacturing systems. Working with equipment manufacturers
and other companies, CSOPS researchers will work to design and build turn-key
equipment for the pharmaceutical industry.
Currently, three main routes
are followed in manufacturing oral dosage pharmaceuticals: dry compression,
dry granulation, and wet granulation. The continuous manufacturing
project will work across all of these approaches, while also taking into
account the challenges of capsule filling and tablet coating. Once
these systems are created, CSOPS researchers can focus on optimizing them
for new and different pharmaceutical products and, ultimately, applying
this innovative technology even more widely. |
