The company's proprietary ActiveMesh^TM technology involves the storage of the drug powder in a mesh package (shown in red) located on a reed or spring - as opposed to a traditional capsule - and the breath-powered beating and vibrationof this mesh package such that the powder emerges via an active dispersion effect. This technological breakthrough enables high-performance inhalers to be implemented in a small form factor (such as that of a whistle or credit-card) and at a very low cost.

The beating can be caused either by a rotor blade (as shown at right) or by the beating of a vibrating reed, as in a harmonica. The beating stages at right show: (1) the blade approaching the spring/mesh-package; (2) the blade striking the spring; and then (3) the dry powder emerging from the mesh-package on the spring. Note that the patient's inhalation drives this beating effect, which in turn "entrains" the powder into the high-speed airflow through the device in a manner which is synchronized with this inhalation.

As a capsule is not required, the traditional problems of low emitted dose associated with trying to get all of the powder out of the capsule are easily overcome. Similarly, problems associated with agglomeration of the powder are largely overcome as the powder emerges from its mesh package highly de-agglomerated (i.e. with a high FPF), as the powder particles are dispersed through the holes in the mesh. This novel "active dispersion mesh" packaging approach is protected by two patent applications at PCT stage. As the performance achieved is very high, inhalers based on this technology are good candidates both for the immediate market in delivering pulmonary drugs and for the future systemic delivery of drugs; i.e. for replacing injections.

Additional features that derive from this approach include:

• Targeted Delivery: By optimizing the thickness of the mesh that the particles need to "tunnel" through, the point in the inhalation cycle at which the drug is released can be determined.

• Combination Therapies: Two drugs can be combined within the same mesh package; but what is especially novel is that two separate mesh packages – containing two drugs that cannot be stored together – can be mounted on one spring and delivered together or in sequence. This novel capability provides a new, unique capability to the inhaler industry.

• Handling Pure Drugs: Many inhalers, including single-dose disposable ones, cannot deliver pure drugs and thus necessitate the use of excipients. The company's technology is well suited to storing the tiny amounts of pure drug and delivering them as required.

Potential applications include both lung applications and systemic ones:

• Direct delivery of antibiotics (such as Tobramycin) to the lungs for treating lung infections such as pneumonia, thereby improving the level of care while avoiding the side-effects of oral antibiotics.

• A "backup" product for responding to asthma attacks in the absence of the patient's primary inhaler.

• Nicotine delivery for smoking cessation, providing instant relief for nicotine craving.

• A replacement for the currently used EpiPen injections for bee-sting allergy relief.

• Treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) with Prostacyclins, eliminating the side effects resulting from the systemic exposure of the current injected products.

• Treatments requiring the rapid attainment of high blood peaks (and which can therefore not be provided via the oral route), such as treating breakthough pain (using Fentanyl) and sexual dysfunction.

• Replacement of injections for drugs that have poor bioavailability via the oral route, such as proteins and peptides.

• Many other non-chronic applications such as acute agitation (Loxapine), migraine (Prochlorperazine, Loxapine), panic attacks (Alprazolam), and insomnia (Zaleplon).

• Products for the military and bio-terrorism markets.
   

• a whistle-shaped inhaler that uses a vibrating reed to beat the mesh package
• a credit-card shaped inhaler, which uses a rotor to beat the mesh package

• Gidi Kahana, CEO - Gidi Kahana is an experienced manager in the high-tech field, with background in both the chemical and life-science industries. He was the Managing Director of an innovative drug/probiotic company, Novobiotec Ltd., prior to its sale to a US corporation. Prior to that he was the Managing Director (for 12 years) of Satec Ecochem Ltd., where he was responsible for the development of powder-oriented chemical manufacturing processes.

• Prof. Robert Sievers, Scientific Advisor - Prof. Robert Sievers is an entrepreneur in the inhaler field, and a Professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder, in the field of powders and aerosol science. In 2002 he co-founded Aktiv-Dry LLC, a Boulder biotech company in the dry powder inhaler (DPI) field, specializing in the development of useful microparticle and nanoparticle powders. Sievers and his co-inventors have been awarded 39 US and foreign patents, and he has co-authored 200 scientific publications. In 1985, he co-founded Sievers Instruments, a company that grew to 160 employees and was purchased in 1996 by Ionics, Inc. which subsequently was sold to G.E. in 2005. Professor Sievers has performed research on developing improved vaccines, anti-virals, antibiotics, and anti-inflammatories, and DPIs for their delivery.

• Steven Nichols, Industry Consultant and Scientific Advisory Board Member – Dr. Nichols is a consultant to the pharma industry, specializing in inhalation. He has 27 years experience in product development, principally of inhaled and nasal drug products and delivery. At Rhone-Poulenc Rorer he was responsible for MDI Analytical Development and Respiratory Physics and then became Head of Drug Delivery Research, focusing on the appraisal and the development of new inhalation systems. Since 2000 he has held a number of positions within Aventis (subsequently sanofi-aventis), including: Manager of Materials Science, focusing on API characterisation and formulation selection; New Technology Coordination Manager, assessing new inhalation delivery technologies and focusing on inward and outward licensing opportunities of inhalation delivery platforms; and Technology Manager, leading a team working on a late phase DPI product development program and regulatory strategy. Dr Nichols has published over 40 peer reviewed articles and regularly presents at major conferences and seminars on drug delivery focusing on nasal and pulmonary delivery. Dr. Nichols is familiar with many of the key players in the DPI field, and is active in introducing aespironics' technology to them.

• Prof. Dan Adler, Fluid Mechanics Consultant - Prof. Dan Adler is an international expert in gas and particle fluid-flow phenomena and an Emeritus Professor at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. His specialization is the theoretical, numerical and experimental investigation of flow, heat and mass transfer, related to turbomachines and jet engines; the development of flow field and pressure measurement techniques in rotating passages; and digital simulation of gas turbines and jet engines. His professional appointments have included being a Professor of Aeronautics at The U.S. Naval Graduate School, and being a consultant to major international turbine companies including General Dynamics, Pratt & Whitney, McDonnell-Douglas and Cummins Engines Co.

• Ian Solomon, Director, Business Development - Ian Solomon is a serial entrepreneur in the high-tech field. The last company he founded, Profile Technology Ventures, commercialized several innovations in the packaging, chemical, and biotech fields; leading to licensing arrangements and to three “exits” involving stock sales to public companies – two in the US and one in the UK. In recent years he has specialized in developments in the drug-delivery / "smart packaging" field.

Additionally, the company's consultants and scientific board members include Prof. Shmuel Kivity, Head of the Respiratory Department, Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv; and Amir Genosar of the Profile Group – this group being well known in Israel for "incubating" technology companies in the drug-delivery "space".

Company Status

1. A partnering arrangement with a world-leading manufacturer in the assembly and filling of DPI products (term sheet signed). According to this collaboration, the manufacturer will invest in the product engineering, the powder filling line and the DryPod device assembly line, all the way through to (and including) the clinical stage, in return for a royalty arrangement. This partnering arrangement represents a major investment of both funds and know-how, which enables aespironics to offer a pharma partner the complete turnkey engineering package to take their product all the way through clinical trials and until production of the end products.

2. A collaboration with a leading US company in the special-purpose dry-powder field to jointly develop antidote products for the military and bio-terrorism markets. A first powder drug from this company is already being tested in aespironics' facility. The bio-terrorism field is one in which large-scale grant funding is available.

Additionally, aespironics has had initial discussions with a number of pharma companies about the company's technology, planned DryPod products and the potential applications.

The company's main patent application (WO 2008/056370) recently received a PCT Search Report stating that all the claims in the patent are novel and inventive.

Requirements

Contacts