The Tablets & Capsules Hands-On Short Course at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy will offer 10 different lab experiences.

Explore the information provided below to learn more about what to expect during each unique lab experience.

Lab 1A: Material Characterization – Particle and Powder Properties
Presenter: John Elter

  • Particle size determination using sieving and laser diffraction
  • Powder surface area
  • Powder true, tapped and bulk density

Lab 1B: Material Characterization – Thermal Properties
Presenter: Steve Aubuchon

  • Thermal analysis of polymers and drug substances
  • Identification of drug substance polymorphic forms

Lab 2A: Tablet Compression
Presenter: Mark Rice

  • Press setup and operation
  • Compression and speed profiling us software
  • Tablet hardness and compression pressure

Lab 2B: Particle Engineering – High Shear Granulation
Presenter: Tim Smith

  • High shear granulation
  • Liquid addition and granule particle size
  • Impeller speed and granule quality
  • Granulation endpoint

Lab 3A: Particle Engineering – Extrusion and Spheronization
Presenter: Lauren Petraglia

  • Making spherical particles using a multi-granulator and a marumerizer
  • Parameters optimization

Lab 3B: PAT Applications in Fluid Bed Granulation
Presenters: Denise Root and Bowen Jiang

  • Fluid bed setup and operation
  • PAT (NIR) methods for moisture content and granulation endpoint determination

Lab 4A: Particle Engineering – Spray drying
Presenter: Debra Repko

  • Spray drier setup and operation
  • Formation of solid particles via spray drying
  • Effect of process and formulation parameters on particle size

Lab 4B: Tablet Formulation Evaluation
Presenter: Robert Sedlock

  • Tablet compression tooling
  • Formulation development
  • Relationship between compression force solid fraction and tensile strength

Lab 5A: Material Characterization – Use of compaction Simulator in Tablet Development
Presenter: Susana N. Bobadilla

  • Compaction profiles mimicking rotary tablet presses
  • Overcome capping issues: pre-compression ratio
  • Clinical batch manufacturing: automatic weight regulation system

Lab 5B: Capsule Filling
Presenter: Steve Hoag

  • Capsule filling machine setup and operation
  • Influence of processing conditions on plug formation and product quality
  • Influence of formulation variables on plug formation and product quality

Lab 6A: Bead and Tablet Coating
Presenters: Simon Cahsmore, Yidan Lan, and Gary Hollenbeck

  • Pan coating of tablets
  • Fluid bed coating of multiparticulate beads
  • PAT (NIR) methods for monitoring coat thickness and curing

Lab 6B: Quality Control – Tablet and Capsule Release Testing
Presenters: Brian Kozlowski, Joanne Taylor, and Ahmed Ibrahim

  • USP methods of product assessment
  • Dissolution and disintegration
  • Data calculation and presentation