Engineering the Therapeutic Window in the Lung: Particle Design, Controlled Release, Formulation–Device Co- Development, and Translation of Inhaled Therapeutics
Speaker:
Yatao Liu
Founder and President of Scientific Horizons (SHC)
Harvard University
Abstract
Across a broad range of pulmonary diseases—including non-cystic fibrosis (non-CF) bronchiectasis; drug-resistant bacterial (MDRO), mycobacterial (including NTM and TB), and fungal lung infections; idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF); pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH); COPD-related distal-airway disease; and selected localized lung cancers—there is a compelling rationale for achieving higher drug exposure directly at the site of disease while reducing systemic burden. Yet many clinically important indications still lack inhaled products that deliver the necessary combination of deep-lung deposition, controlled release, intracellular delivery where needed, dose consistency, usability, and scalable manufacturability.
In this seminar, I will describe an integrated formulation–device co-development strategy for inhaled therapeutics, using hard-to-treat lung infections as a primary case study while drawing broader engineering lessons for other pulmonary indications. I will highlight engineered carrier platforms—including PLGA nanocarriers, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), co-crystal systems, and related nanostructured carriers—together with deep-lung particle engineering, controlled release, intracellular targeting, and advanced air–liquid interface models and complementary assays that establish an iterative feedback framework linking physicochemical characterization, aerosol behavior, tissue exposure, local tolerability, host response, and efficacy, thereby guiding successive rounds of formulation and device optimization. I will also discuss why device engineering must proceed in parallel with formulation development, including aerosol-generation architecture, quantitative dose delivery and monitoring, patient-interface design, and user-centered features that influence delivery reliability, adherence, and translation beyond the laboratory. Finally, I will address the translational disciplines that are often underemphasized in academia but decisive in practice: unmet-need selection, rigorous go/no-go criteria, data-driven stage-gated development planning, manufacturability, IP, regulatory strategy, and partnership formation. The goal is to share a practical framework for moving inhaled therapeutics from concept to product and, ultimately, to meaningful clinical and commercial impact.
Speaker Bio:
Dr. Yatao Liu is Founder and President of Scientific Horizons (SHC), a California-based innovation company advancing nasal and pulmonary drug-delivery systems, formulation–device platforms, and other translational health technologies for hard-to-treat diseases, including drug-resistant lung infections, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and pulmonary arterial hypertension.His career spans academia, global medtech leadership, and entrepreneurship. Prior to founding SHC, he held senior executive roles at Danaher Corporation and, following its spin-off, Envista, including Vice President, CTO, and General Manager, with full P&L responsibility for global infection prevention and specialty businesses exceeding $250 million in annual revenue. Over the course of his industry career, he has helped lead the development and commercialization of more than 30 medical products used worldwide, generating more than $2 billion in cumulative revenue.
Dr. Liu earned his Ph.D. from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), completed postdoctoral research in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at New York University, and later received an M.P.H. in epidemiology from Harvard. Supported by NIH funding and multiple global development partnerships, his current work focuses on controlled-release pulmonary delivery, nasal delivery for brain-targeted therapeutics, medical devices, and translating engineering innovation from concept to product and commercialization to advance healthcare and public health.