Colorado State University Research Foundation

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Access Sensor Technologies LLC

Glaxo Inc.

David Leith

John Volckens

Daniel David Miller-Lionberg

Casey William Quinn

Malcolm E Taylor

Robert A Casper

Frank A Leith

Azer P Yalin

Christian L'Orange

Ellison Carter

Kimberly Anderson

Josephine Hofstetter

Mwangi T Ndonga

Jeff Wagner

Christopher M Limbach

Maryanne G Boundy

A portable sampler, the sampler including a sampler assembly having a housing that includes a receiver defined therein for interchangeably receiving a number of removable inlet assemblies, the removable inlet assemblies including a respirable inlet assembly and a thoracic inlet assembly. The respirable inlet assembly includes a hybrid cyclone assembly, the hybrid cyclone assembly including an impaction stage and a cyclone in series. The thoracic inlet assembly includes an inlet slot configured to function as a size-selective inlet. Another thoracic inlet assembly includes a housing having a number of openings configured to receive a sample airflow; an inlet insert through which an inlet aperture is defined; a prequalification chamber defined between a lower surface of the housing and an upper surface of the inlet insert; and a protrusion extending downward from the lower surface of the housing into the inlet aperture of the inlet insert to from an inlet slot.

Respirable and thoracic sampling inlet assemblies

A portable sampling device includes a sampling housing at least partially enclosing an inner chamber; at least one pumping element disposed within the inner chamber and configured to facilitate airflow through the device; and at least one gas sensor disposed within the inner chamber and configured to detect and/or characterize one or more gases in the airflow.

Sampling device for exposure measurement of particles and gases

A portable sampling device includes a housing at least partially enclosing an inner chamber and an airflow assembly disposed within the inner chamber and comprising a portion of an airflow path. The airflow assembly includes a portion of a printed circuit board (PCB); a manifold configured to be sealably coupled to the portion of the PCB to define at least one airflow channel disposed between an inner surface of the manifold and an outer surface of the PCB; and one or more pumping elements positioned on the PCB.

Portable air sampling device

A sampling device is constructed having an airflow path from a size-selective inlet to a device outlet, without using any tubing. The size-selective inlet includes at least one of an impactor, a filter, a cyclone, and an inhalable inlet. The device includes a sampling assembly configured to be removably coupled directly to a sampling device housing (e.g., without using tubing), and an airflow assembly that may be constructed without using tubing.

Methods and systems for characterizing particles in an aerosol are disclosed. A system includes a collection container that utilizes the principles of elutriation to collect particles of selected aerodynamic diameter ranges within a measurement region. A particle detector is used to detect and characterize particles that have settled into the measurement region.

Portable particle spectrometer

A miniature, passive aerosol particle sampler comprises a scanning electron microscopy mount provided with a collection surface and a removable mesh cover comprising a spacer ring and a mesh sheet. A sampling and analysis method comprises scanning electron microscopy and image analysis to determine a particle-count size distribution. A deposition velocity model comprising a theoretical component and an empirical component is used to determine from the particle-count size distribution the average airborne mass concentration of aerosol particles to which the sampler was exposed.

Passive aerosol sampler and methods

A breath-actuated dry powder medicament inhalator device having a housing and a conduit mounted within the housing defining an air passageway therethrough having an aperture in the sidewall thereof. A blister-type strip of sealed containers arranged in a matrix of rows and columns wherein the columns extend generally diagonally to the longitudinal axis of the strip is secured in a two-piece cage adapted for being rotatably mounted around the conduit of the inhalator device. Advancement means are provided for rotatably moving the two-piece cage and blister strip contained thereby in a generally helical pathway relative to the conduit so as to successively advance each of the sealed containers of the blister strip into registration with the conduit aperture. Piercing means are associated with the housing for successively piercing each of the sealed containers of the blister strip when advanced into registration with the conduit aperture by the advancement means in order to introduce the dry powder compound contained therein into the air passageway of the conduit.

Multi-dose dry powder inhalation device

An apparatus for administering an aerosol of a solid particulate medicament (e.g., amiloride) to the lungs of a patient is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a solid particulate medicament aerosol generator and an impactor assembly for removing large particles of medicament from the aerosol produced by the aerosol generator. The impactor assembly comprises an enclosed chamber having an inlet opening and an outlet opening formed on opposite sides thereof. The aerosol generator is connected to the inlet opening. A first impactor plate is positioned in the chamber, with the first impactor plate adjacent the inlet opening. The first impactor plate has an uninterrupted primary impaction surface formed thereon, with the primary impaction surface substantially axially aligned with the inlet opening and having a diameter not less than the inlet opening. The first impactor plate has at least one exhaust opening formed therein in fluid communication with the outlet opening. An aerosol of solid particulate medicament is passed from the aerosol generator through the impactor assembly where large particles are removed, and then to the subject for inhalation.

Growing community of inventors

Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America

David Leith