Date: Thursday, March 16th, 2023
Time: 11:30 am - 1:00 pm EST

Plenary Lecture

Fabia Gozzo, CEO and Founder at Excelsus Structural Solutions

Title of Talk: Synchrotron X-Ray Powder Diffraction for enhanced characterization of pharmaceuticals

Abstract: Reliably detection and quantification of crystalline impurities below 0.1%wt is always a difficult exercise and particularly difficult when dealing with pharmaceutical organic compounds due to their poor scattering power and sensitivity to radiation damage. In the pharmaceutical world, impurities are often synonymous with undesired polymorphic forms of the same active ingredients characterized, therefore, by the same elemental composition of the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient. The need for purity assessment of the desired polymorphic form often occurs after formulation, making the detection and quantification of traces a challenge due to the presence of excipients. The ability of synchrotron high-resolution and dose-controlled X-Ray Powder Diffraction to directly detect the presence of impurities plays a crucial role in all phases of both the development and IP protection of drug substances and products. We discuss the latest development in the field of synchrotron XRPD applied to pharmaceutical and their impact on the characterization of pharmaceuticals.

Time: 11:30 am

Short Talks

Jaehwan Kim, Cornell University

Title of Talk: Investigation of Ion-Electrode Interactions of Linear Polyimides and Alkali Metal Ions for Next Generation Alternative-Ion Batteries

Abstract: Organic electrode materials offer opportunities to utilize ion-electrode interactions to develop diverse, versatile, and high-performing batteries, particularly for applications requiring high power densities. However, a lack of well-defined structure–property relationships for redox-active organic materials restricts further advancement in the field. We investigate a family of diimide-based polymer materials with several charge-compensating ions (Li+, Na+, K+) to elucidate how structural and environmental factors dictate their thermodynamic and kinetic properties. Employing favorable ion-electrode interactions, the resulting batteries demonstrate improved cycling stabilities. Crown ether experiments, cyclic voltammetry, and activation energy measurements revealed solvation dynamics and polymer flexibility as crucial considerations for electrode design. Critically, we find that the most flexible polymer (PTCDA-en) enables access to the highest fraction of active sites due to the small activation barrier during charge/discharge. Overall, our in-depth structure–activity investigation demonstrates how variables such as polymer structure and cation can be used to optimize and innovate battery chemistries.

Time: 12:10 pm EST

Junguang Yu, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Title of Talk: Surface Enrichment and Depletion of Components in Amorphous Solid Dispersions and its Impact on Drug Stability and Release

Abstract: Every material has an interface with its surrounding where molecules have different organization and dynamics from those in the interior. Using X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), we show that surface composition can be vastly different from bulk composition in an amorphous solid dispersion (ASD), which is increasingly used to deliver poorly soluble drugs. Besides the drug, an ASD usually contains a surfactant and a polymer. We show that the surfactant can enrich strongly on the surface to near purity, controlled by the relative surface activities of the components. A polymer in an ASD can also surface-enrich and the rate of enrichment is governed by polymer diffusion through the bulk. The surface enrichment and depletion of components play a major role in drug stability and release. For example, a polymer layer on the surface can inhibit the otherwise rapid crystal nucleation and improve the wetting and dissolution. Our finding highlights the importance of surface chemistry in developing high-quality ASDs

Time: 12:35 pm