title: Personalizing aerosol medicine: development of delivery systems tailored to the individual.
abstract: Inhalation of drugs for therapeutic effects is not a recent innovation as illicit drugs have been 'smoked' for millennia. Nicotine delivery 'devices' in convenient packaged cartons of cigarettes are simple to use, inexpensive per dose and accessible to people of most ages and lung function, but of course their use leads to increased cancer, emphysema, heart disease and other medical and societal problems. In contrast, many inhalation pharmaceutical medical devices are expensive, nonportable, inconvenient, and/or are used improperly thus leading to poor therapeutic benefit. We review the current state of the art with respect to aerosol delivery, inhalation devices and the ability to personalize the treatment and management of lung disease. The confluence of many drivers will lead to more programmable and flexible devices in the future: the transition from the blockbuster model to customized therapy, technological advancements (e.g., smartphones) and cultural changes including social networking.
authors: Aradigm Corp, 3929 Point Eden Way, Hayward, CA 94545, USA. cipollad@aradigm.com
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Cipolla
authors: Hak-Kim
authors: HK
authors: Chan
authors: Jeffrey
authors: J
authors: Schuster
authors: Dino
authors: D
authors: Farina
mesh_terms: D000336:Aerosols; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D006801:Humans; D009330:Nebulizers and Vaporizers; D057285:Precision Medicine
chemical_list: D000336:Aerosols