Rapid production of protein-loaded biodegradable microparticles using surface acoustic waves

We present a straightforward and rapid surface acoustic wave (SAW) atomization-based technique for encapsulating proteins into 10 mum order particles composed of a biodegradable polymeric excipient, using bovine serum albumin (BSA) as an exemplar. Scans obtained from confocal microscopy provide qualitative proof of encapsulation and show the fluorescent conjugated protein to be distributed in a relatively uniform manner within the polymer shell. An ELISA assay of the collected particles demonstrates that the BSA survives the atomization, particle formation, and collection process with a yield of approximately 55%. The SAW atomization universally gave particles with a textured morphology, and increasing the frequency and polymer concentration generally gave smaller particles (to 3 mum average) with reduced porosity.