Experimental Full-volume Airway Approximation for Assessing Breath-dependent Regional Aerosol Deposition

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Respiratory Medicine
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Accurate in vitro modeling of aerosol dynamics in human airways is crucial for developing inhaled therapeutics.
• Existing in vitro tools often lack patient-specific anatomy and sufficient lung volume simulation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel in vitro modeling pipeline for simulating patient-specific upper and deeper airways.
• To create a modular system capable of mimicking physiological breathing patterns and large lung volumes.

Main Methods:

• The TIDAL system was developed as a modular in vitro model with tunable inhalation/exhalation capabilities.
• The system was coupled with a vibrating mesh nebulizer to assess aerosol deposition.
• Central-to-peripheral (C:P) aerosol deposition was measured and compared to in vivo and in silico data.

Main Results:

• The TIDAL system can achieve total lung volumes over 7 liters with flow rates up to 30 liters per minute.
• Aerosol deposition measurements using the TIDAL system aligned with established in vivo and in silico benchmarks.
• The model demonstrated compatibility with clinically relevant aerosol delivery devices.

Conclusions:

• The TIDAL system provides a robust and versatile in vitro platform for studying aerosol deposition in patient-specific airways.
• This model effectively predicts aerosol behavior in the lungs, aiding in the optimization of inhaled therapeutics.
• The findings support the use of TIDAL for advancing the development and testing of novel aerosolized medications.