* * * INSIGHT * * *

Lyophilization by Trial and Error

By

Thomas A. Jennings, Ph.D.

ABSTRACT: The basis of this month’s issue had its roots in the very early days of the development of Lyophilization as a process. It was Shackell [1] who first made the decision to freeze the material before drying that resulted in launching this technology.  His enthusiasm led immediately to finding ways to use this new found process rather than understanding the scientific principles upon which this technology is based. This approach is not unusual because only after thousands of years did man make an earnest effort to understand the science and technology associated with making glass with a given property. It is unfortunate that in spite of the effort of a number of individuals, of which I am one of them, the lyophilization process is still being treated more as an art than a science. In this month’s issue I would like to address the development of a lyophilization process by trial and error and its consequence on the quality of the final process and its economic impact on the company. I recognize at the outset that this is one of the shortest and may perhaps be the least receptive of the INSIGHTs published thus far. But that is the purpose of the INSIGHT, to examine a topic from an objective standpoint. Such a position may not always be popular with all of the readers. For those readers that take offense, I will only quote Ms. Charm “Have a banana!”.

Volume 2 Number 8                                                                                  August 1999

3 Pages          1  References          No Figures

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