THz sensors aiding smart production of precision medicines

We will demonstrate a terahertz sensor system to enable real-time and non-invasive control in continuous manufacturing of next generation pharmaceutical products. The latest demands on modern drugs such as precision medicines which are customised to the individual patients, require a paradigm shift in the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. From the traditional scheme of batch-based manufacturing, the pharmaceutical industry needs to switch over to continuous manufacturing. To make this possible, access to real-time process control and quality inspection is needed, for example, real-time characterisation of pharmaceutical materials, coatings, preparations in filled devices such as syringes and inhalers, all taking place during continuous manufacturing. In this project, we will take advantage of THz waves to measure a number of important properties of intermediate and final pharmaceutical products, such as density variation, coating thickness and moisture content. The goal is to demonstrate a compact, non-destructive, reliable sensor technique implemented in the production line. This will enable the shift from a batch-based manufacturing mode to a continuous and smart production of modern pharmaceuticals.

Partner organizations

• AstraZeneca R&D (Private, Sweden)