Graduate Assistant University of Connecticut Storrs, Connecticut, United States
Introduction: Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microspheres are widely used in marketed long-acting injectable products to control drug release. However, their development is challenging due to inherent polymer heterogeneity (e.g., molecular weight, monomer ratio, and blockiness) and processing parameters that impact product performance (1). Additionally, formulation and processing-induced microstructural differences impact product performance and cause batch-to-batch variation (2). This study seeks to elucidate how microstructural changes govern drug release and leverage this understanding to design products with desired release profiles.
Learning Objectives:
Understand the cause and effect of morphological differences on in vitro performance of PLGA microspheres.
Evaluate the relationship between formulation parameters and release kinetics.
Identify key challenges, CQAs, CPPs , and standard in vitro testing methods for PLGA microspheres.
