Matthew Hall*, (Corning | US)

Glass packaging is a key enabler of the safe and effective delivery of life-saving medicines across the world.  The ubiquitous use of glass for pharmaceutical packaging is due to a combination of factors, including its chemical durability, optical transparency, impermeability, and strength.  This webinar will provide a brief historical review of pharmaceutical glass packaging followed by a more in-depth discussion of current opportunities and trends that are being driven by advancements in the development, manufacturing, and administration of therapeutic injectable drugs.

Julian Jones*, (Imperial College London | UK)

In this talk, we celebrate 50 years of Bioglass, a material discovered by Larry L. Hench in 1969. It was the first material found to form a bone with bone, changing the mindset of orthopedic surgeons. All previous biomaterials had triggered scar tissue formation. Bioglass bonds to bone faster than other bioceramics, and encourages more bone growth, which is attributed to the glass’ dissolution products stimulating bone cells at the genetic level. Bioglass particulate has been used in more than 2 million patients worldwide and is now an active ingredient in toothpaste for sensitive teeth. More recently, Bioglass has been used to fight bone infections; porous scaffolds have been produced by 3D printing; fibrous glasses are used for healing chronic wounds and nanoparticles can be used as delivery vehicles for therapeutic ions. A new generation of 3D printed ‘Bouncy Bioglass’, made by the sol-gel process can produce tough biodegradable scaffolds that can share load with host tissues.

*Speaker