First Micro Swirl Nozzle for Fast Drug Delivery to the Lung

Portable inhalers release medical drugs for inhalation and are used to treat lung diseases such as Asthma, COPD, or cystic fibrosis. However, the majority of portable in-halers currently sold worldwide contain greenhouse-active propellants.Here we present a spring-actuated 3D-printed swirl nozzle that sprays an aqueous drug solution, matching propellant-containing inhalers in aerosolization time. 2-photon polymerization enables print times of 40 minutes for a monolithic device. Our 35 bar spring-operated swirl nozzle prototype achieves mean volumetric particle sizes of 12.5 µm on doses of 100 µl, aerosolized in 270 ms, as fast as a propellant-driven inhaler.