Design of In Vivo Deposition and Clearance Experiments

Experiments designed to image in vivo deposition of radiolabel-drug mixtures are useful for estimating inhaled drug delivery and for assessing bioequivalence of delivery devices. Validation of the radiolabel-drug mixture is vital to ensure that subsequent imaging is reflective of drug deposition. Application of gamma attenuation corrections allows both total and regional lung deposition of drug to be estimated by two-dimensional (2D) imaging. Imaging methods are also useful for measuring in vivo mucociliary clearance (MC) function. Such measures allow assessment of the efficacy of drugs designed to improve clearance of airway secretions in airway disease. MC rates can be measured by controlled inhalation and gamma camera monitoring of radiolabeled aerosols containing non-permeating tracers. While in vivo MC rates reflect the function of the mucociliary apparatus, they are also dependent on regional deposition patterns of the inhaled aerosol.