Design considerations for intratracheal delivery devices to achieve proof-of-concept dry powder biopharmaceutical delivery in mice

Abstract

Purpose: Intratracheal delivery and consistent dosing of dry powder vaccines is especially challenging in mice. To address this issue, device design of positive pressure dosators and actuation parameters were assessed for their impacts on powder flowability and in vivo dry powder delivery. Methods: A chamber-loading dosator assembled with stainless-steel, polypropylene or polytetrafluoroethylene needle-tips was used to determine optimal actuation parameters. Powder loading methods including tamp-loading, chamber-loading and pipette tip-loading were compared to assess performance of the dosator delivery device in mice. Results: Available dose was highest (45%) with a stainless-steel tip loaded with an optimal mass and syringe air volume, primarily due to the ability of this configuration to dissipate static charge. However, this tip encouraged more agglomeration along its flow path in the presence of humidity and was too rigid for intubation of mice compared to a more flexible polypropylene tip. Using optimized actuation parameters, the polypropylene pipette tip-loading dosator achieved an acceptable in vivo emitted dose of 50% in mice. After administering two doses of a spray dried adenovirus encapsulated in mannitol-dextran, high bioactivity was observed in excised mouse lung tissue three days post-infection. Conclusions: This proof-of-concept study demonstrates for the first time that intratracheal delivery of a thermally stable, viral-vectored dry powder can achieve equivalent bioactivity to the same powder, reconstituted and delivered intratracheally. This work may guide the design and device selection process for murine intratracheal delivery of dry powder vaccines to help progress this promising area of inhalable therapeutics.