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New laser technique promises better process control in the pharmaceutical industry
Scientists at the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire, UK have developed an effective laser based method for the characterisation of the bulk chemical content of pharmaceutical capsules - without opening the capsules!
In close collaboration with teams from Pfizer Ltd, a leading pharmaceutical company, the researchers in STFC’s Lasers for Science Facility succeeded in quantifying the presence of the active pharmaceutical ingredient in production line relevant capsules to a relative error of 1%. Other established non-invasive methods were unable to reach the same level of accuracy with the same sample.
The technique holds great potential for a range of process control applications in the pharmaceutical industry. The results of the collaborative study are reported in the Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis.
The development stems from research into a novel Raman spectroscopy method, Spatially Offset Raman Spectroscopy, which is under development at STFC for a wide range of applications including the detection of explosives in non-metallic containers, the detection of counterfeit drugs through opaque packaging and the non-invasive diagnosis of bone disease and cancer. The concepts, which are relatively simple to implement, were developed through experiments involving STFC’s large scale facilities which provided crucial insight into photon transport processes.
The development is being carried out in close collaboration with STFC's knowledge technology transfer arm (CLIK) and the new techniques are planned for commercialisation through STFC’s spin-out company LiteThru Ltd.
"This work is a great example of how leading edge science performed on national scale facilities can be directly translated into solutions for key industrial problems. Direct collaboration between Pfizer and STFC scientists is a model for the future, allowing leading-edge techniques to be appropriately targeted to the benefit of the UK economy", says Prof Mike Dunne, Director of the Central Laser Facility of which the Lasers for Science Facility is an integral part.
Prof Pavel Matousek, the project leader commented, “I am delighted that the vibrant environment at STFC enables us to engage in world-leading science and to make effective use of new ideas and discoveries for the direct benefit of our society.”
For more information please contact:
Notes for editors
The work stems from earlier research efforts of a wider collaborative team including the laser team at the STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, the University of Michigan, ICI PLC, the Royal Veterinary College, University College London and the Gloucestershire Royal Hospital focused on non-invasive spectroscopy of powders and the diagnosis of bone disease and cancer.
The reported work was supported financially from the Proof-of-Concept Fund by CLIK Knowledge Transfer (STFC's technology transfer arm), STFC, NESTA, the Rainbow Seed Fund and EPSRC.
The reported research paper:
C. Eliasson, N.A. Macleod, L. Jayes, F.C. Clarke, S. Hammond, M.R. Smith, P. Matousek, “Non-Invasive Quantitative Assessment of the Content of Pharmaceutical Capsules using Transmission Raman Spectroscopy”, J. Pharm. Biomed. Anal., in press, 2008.
Background on the transmission Raman and SORS techniques is available on the Central Laser Facility website (link opens in a new window).
Related past press releases
The Central Laser Facility and the Lasers for Science Facility
The Central Laser Facility (link opens in a new window) at the STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory is one of the world's leading laser facilities providing scientists from universities in the UK and Europe with an unparalleled range of state-of-the-art laser technology.
The Lasers for Science Facility has a strong record in designing next generation capability for UK academia and then developing this for wider societal exploitation. Recent examples of this type of developmental effort include applications to detect counterfeit drugs, non-invasive diagnosis of various diseases and cancerous lesions, and applications in airport security. See the SORS web pages (link opens in a new window) and ULTRA web pages (link opens in a new window) for further details.
LiteThru Ltd
LiteThru Ltd (link opens in a new window) is a spin-out from the STFC's Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. LiteThru has exclusive access to several technologies for non-invasive analysis using Raman spectroscopy. LiteThru is developing solutions for several markets, including pharmaceutical production monitoring, anti-counterfeiting and security measures and medical diagnostics.
For more information on LiteThru, please contact:
Page last updated: 18 February 2008
by Natalie Bealing
