3D lung model enhances personalized aerosol therapy research

Unlike conventional lung models, the UD-designed system combines two key features: 

• Cyclic breathing simulation, mimicking actual lung movement 

• 3D-printed lattice structures, recreating lung volume and airway surface area 

“This means that we can look at the entire dosage of an inhaled medicine. We can look at exposure over time, and we can capture what happens when you inhale the medication and where the medicine deposits, as well as what gets exhaled as you breathe,” explained Catherine Fromen. 

The model is particularly useful in testing aerosol deposition during varied respiratory scenarios, from healthy breathing to asthma attacks or COPD flare-ups. 

Using fluorescent markers, the researchers can determine where particles land within the model’s 150 components. By rinsing each segment, they quantify the recovered signal and generate heat maps of aerosol deposition. These findings are then compared to known clinical data to validate performance. 

“We want to make sure our model can capture those differences,” Fromen says, referring to disease-specific lung conditions such as airway narrowing or mucus build-up. 

The model offers practical benefits for both clinicians and pharmaceutical developers: 

• Custom inhaler design for different patient profiles 

• Optimized dosage strategies 

• Improved clinical trial outcomes by identifying delivery failures early 

“This is important because, right now, inhaled pharmaceutics are designed with a one-size-fits-all approach,” says Fromen. 

In a collaboration with the Army Research Lab, the model is also being used to study toxic particle exposure, determining how far and how much enters the lung and what impact that has over time. 

“Making it accessible to other researchers opens the door for impactful collaborations,” Fromen concludes. 

COMPAMED-tradefair.com; Source: University of Delaware