Bridgit Etbon

Biography

During the master’s year of Bridgit’s degree, she completed a fulltime placement with CrystecPharma, working as an analytical scientist. Bridgit spent her time designing and performing SCF (supercritical fluid) experiments on API’s and analysing the powders using various equipment such as powder x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and thermal gravimetric analysis. For her master’s project Bridgit investigated the use of SCF technology for the generation of particles suitable for direct compression. This experience gave Bridgit an insight into the pharmaceutical industry and all the challenges surrounding the development of an innovative idea into a marketable product.

PhD: Understanding the Impact of API Particle Size Control methods on API Surface Properties and Drug Product Sticking

Punch sticking is one of the primary manufacturing issues encountered by the pharmaceutical industry. Occurrences of sticking lead to low manufacturing yields, longer production runs or limited maximum batch sizes, which in turn lead to increased costs and delays in the development and commercialisation of new medicines.
Due to the complex multi-factorial nature of sticking there is currently no method for a priori design or selection of drug substance or formulation components based on physico-chemical properties.  As a result punch sticking is resolved or managed empirically on a case by case basis as a solution for one product may not be suitable for the next. Furthermore, sticking is typically seen late in the development cycle, which means the drug substance properties and formulation cannot be changed and punch sticking must be managed through processing controls.
The physico-chemical attributes of drug substance responsible for sticking are poorly understood.  Improved understanding of API surface properties will provide the opportunity to design APIs with more suitable surface properties. Thus increasing our ability to truly ‘design’ a drug product and reduce the need to rely on processing controls.

Outreach, training and other activities:

• Participated in 2018 Summer School in Nottingham, hosted by CDT in Advanced Therapeutics

Publications and presentations:

• “Examination of inequivalent wetting on the crystal habit surfaces of RS-ibuprofen using grid-based molecular modelling” Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2018,20, 11622-11633 I. Rosbottom, J. H. Pickering, B. Etbon, R. B. Hammond and K. J. Roberts

Masters research project in year 1 of CDT:

• ‘The influence of solvent binding energies on the crystal morphology of RS-Ibuprofen’ with Dr Ian Rosbottom, Chemical & Process Engineering