IOP Business Start-Up Award: Nebu-Flow

Nebu~Flow is an innovative medical device company, developing Nebu~Flow aerosolisation technology with primary applications in pulmonary drug delivery.

Respiratory diseases are the leading cause of death and disability in the world. These disorders, such as cystic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorders (COPD), are usually treated by the inhalation of aerosols, where the effective delivery of medication is crucially dependent upon aerosol droplet size. The Nebu~Flow technology is based on control of the mechanical energy carried by acoustic waves to disperse liquids in the form of aerosol. This acoustic technology provides a unique method to control aerosol droplet size within the clinically effective range (smaller than 5 micrometres) for efficient respiratory drug delivery. The technology also nebulises a wide range of therapeutics including existing drugs with low surface tension or suspended particles, as well as enabling inhalation delivery of emerging high-value biologics, which will be critically important in new treatments for lung hypertension and cystic fibrosis, for example.

Additionally, Nebu~Flow technology provides patients with a user-friendly, breath-actuated nebuliser that delivers the drugs during the inhalation period, improves the clinical outcome while reducing the treatment time and carbon footprint associated with respiratory disorders.

Nebu~Flow will partner with pharmaceutical companies to develop drug–device combinations and enable the delivery of currently unavailable emerging high-value biologics and nanomedicines, critical in new treatments of cystic fibrosis and COPD.