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Nicotine Science Center 2016
Activities and News

 

Summary

The high level of activity in the Nicotine Science Centre (NSC) has continued in 2016. NSC employees, led by Program Manager Kent Albin Nielsen, PhD, have participated in five major international conferences, organized four internal Fertin Pharma conferences, given nine oral presentations, three poster presentations and completed seven publications. In 2016 the Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) conducted two meetings, and NSC launched new research projects in collaboration with Aalborg University, University of Southern Denmark and the University of Copenhagen.

 

The Scientific Advisory Board

Two scientific advisory board meetings featured presentations on novel Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) products, nicotine complexes, pulmonary absorption, oral drug delivery systems, buccal absorption and on reduced nicotine irritation. 

 

The scientific advisory board meetings have primarily focused on expanding Fertin's fundamental understanding of nicotine by covering topics such as absorption of nicotine, in-depth understanding of oral mucosal, evaluation of new delivery systems, understanding the fundamental mechanisms behind nicotine absorption, addressing the relevant factors that might lead to further optimization of existing products and finally on opportunities for new and improved NRT products. 

 

The scientific advisory board contributed at the meeting by ensuring important scientific input and progress, and by narrowing down the essential requirements for the next development step of improved NRT products.

Fertin Pharma conferences

Four Fertin Pharma conferences took place in 2016. The focus of the conferences was to increase the scientific knowledge of NRT and expand the competence of the specialists in the R&D department of Fertin Pharma.

Presenters at the Fertin Pharma conferences have been carefully chosen among external as well as internal experts. The topics presented were highly relevant to the further scientific development of existing and new NRT products.

 

Several of NSC's collaborators have been invited to share their latest discoveries. This has ensured an effective tech transfer between involved parties and a smooth knowledge transfer between university researchers and specialists from Fertin's R&D department.

 

International Conferences

The NSC has participated in five international conferences in 2016

  1. BioBarriers 2016 – 11th Conference and Workshop on Biological Barriers, Saarbrücken, Germany, March 7 – 9.
  2. Annual meeting of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) in Prague, Czech Republic, September 8 – 10.
  3. World Meeting on Pharmaceutics, Biopharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology (PBP), Glasgow, United Kingdom, April 4 – 7.
  4. Global Forum on Nicotine, Warsaw, Poland, June 17 – 18.
  5. 16th World Congress on Pain, Yokohama, Japan, September 26 – 30.

 

Presentations

The NSC have given nine oral and three poster presentations in 2016

Oral presentations:

  1. Medicated Chewing Gum, at University of Copenhagen, Denmark, January.
  2. Elucidation of oromucosal absorption barriers to nicotine and strategies for absorption enhancement – present challenges, presented at the Rational Oral Drug Delivery (RODD) group at University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, April 5.
  3. A study of the permeability barriers to nicotine in porcine buccal mucosa, presented at the annual Drug Research Acadamy (DRA) Summer School, Copenhagen, August 24.
  4. Presentation of the Nicotine Science Center activities and Fertin Pharma at the Technical University of Denmark, Denmark, September 30.
  5. Assessing sensory perceptions and provoked intraoral sensory changes using nicotine gum, presented at The Danish Pharmacy Association, Aalborg, October 26.
  6. Elucidation of oromucosal absorption barriers to nicotine and strategies for absorption enhancement, presented at Drug Delivery, Disposition and Dynamics at Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, October 29.
  7. Presentation of the Nicotine Science Center activities and Fertin Pharma at University of Copenhagen, Denmark, November 5.
  8. Presentation of the Nicotine Science Center activities and Fertin Pharma at Aarhus University, Denmark, November 17.
  9. Presentation of the Nicotine Science Center activities and Fertin Pharma at University of Southern Denmark, Denmark, December 5.

 

Poster presentations:

  1. Chewing Gum with a Built-in Trigger Mechanism for Drug Delivery presented at BioBarriers 2016 – 11th Conference and Workshop on Biological Barriers, Saarbrücken, Germany, March 7 – 9.
  2. Chewing Gum for Rapid Drug Delivery, presented at World Meeting on Pharmaceutics, Biopharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology (PBP), Glasgow, United Kingdom, April 4 – 7.
  3. Burning and cooling responses to nicotine, cinnamaldehyde, and menthol: a comparison between smokers and non-smokers, presented at the 16th World Congress on Pain, Yokohama, Japan, September 26 – 30.

       

 

Fertin Pharma presentations:

  1. Hvad ønsker vores kunder – rygerne: oral presentation by Senior Consultant, CEO, Maj-Britt Koch, Rygestopkonsulenterne, April 18.
  2. Amorphous drugs and drug formulations: oral presentation by Professor Thomas Rades, University of Copenhagen, September 15.

 

 

Publications

The NSC has published eight publications in 2016.

  1. Pharmacokinetic of pulmonary nicotine absorption from electronic cigarettes, Chhoden, T.; Internal report, Fertin Pharma, 2016.
  2. The relation between nicotine pharmacokinetics and craving relief; Pedersen, L.R.; Internal report, Fertin Pharma, 2016.
  3. Effect of human and porcine mucin dispersions on buccal drug delivery of small molecules – Development of in vitro and ex vivo permeability models; Master thesis by Mosgaard, M.D., University of Copenhagen, August 11.
  4. Ex vivo permeabilitet af små molekyler over bukkalt mucosa fra gris, kanin og ko samt effekt af positiv ladning på bukkal gels mucoadhæsive egenskaber; Master thesis by Olesen, C.L.; and Larsen,T., University of Copenhagen, August 11.
  5. Interaction between intra-oral cinnamaldehyde and nicotine assessed by psychophysical and physiological responses. (2016) Jensen, T.K.; Vandborg, M.; Arendt-Nielsen, L.; Boudreau S, A.,  Euro J. Oral Sci.
  6. Menthol, cinnamaldehyde, and nicotine evoked burning, cooling, and irritation effects on the oral tissues in young adult smokers and non-smokers (Submitted) Ørsens, E, H.; Arendt-Nielsen, L.; Boudreau S, A., Frontiers in Physiology. 
                         
  7. Drug delivery systems: Investigations into the drug incorporation mechanism for medicated chewing gums, Bjerregaard, N., Master thesis, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Southern Denmark, 2016.

 

New Projects

On September 2016, a new master project was launched within the NSC, in collaboration with the Aarhus University. The hypothesis of the project is: Experiments leading to a better understanding of the mechanisms of drug (nicotine) loading and release onto/from ion exchanger. The project is led by Cecilie Abell and Agnete Larsen from Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University. 

 

 

Finalized Projects

  1. Master thesis: Effect of human and porcine mucin dispersions on buccal drug delivery of small molecules – Development of in vitro and ex vivo permeability models, Mette Dalskov Mosgaard, University of Copenhagen.
  2. Master thesis: Drug delivery systems: Investigations into the drug incorporation mechanism for medicated chewing gums, Nickolai Bjerregaard, University of Southern Denmark.
  3. Master thesis: Ex vivo permeabilitet af små molekyler over bukkalt mucosa fra gris, kanin og ko samt effekt af positiv ladning på bukkal gels mucoadhæsive egenskaber, Carina Lundby Olesen and Tina Larsen, University of Copenhagen.
  4. Internal project: Pharmacokinetic of pulmonary nicotine absorption from electronic cigarettes, Thashi Chhoden, Fertin Pharma.
  5. Internal project: The relation between nicotine pharmacokinetics and craving relief, Lea Ravn Pedersen, Fertin Pharma.

 

 

Outlook for 2017

The level of activity will remain high in 2017. Participation in four conferences is planned: Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) Annual Meeting 2017, Global Forum on Nicotine 2017, American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists 2017, 2nd  European Conference on Pharmaceutics. Grant applications will be submitted to the InnovationFond Denmark in order to establish and support of PhD and post-doctoral students. Articles from AAU and KU will be submitted for publication and ethics applications for new set of studies are planned for August-September 2017.