By MEGGLE Excipients
MEGGLE highlights its role in educating young scientists
Wasserburg, Germany: – The latest news blog from pharmaceutical lactose specialist MEGGLE highlights its role in educating young scientists.
The article ‘Lactose. An unexpected passion’ is authored by MEGGLE Head of Application Technology & Innovation, Dr. Franz Karl Penz, who recalls how he used the pioneering MEGGLE lactose excipient Tablettose® 80 to produce his first “real” tablets as a young pharmacy student.
First encounter
“An eccentric tablet press of long standing was repeatedly filled with freshly prepared powder mixture and willingly spat out one “precious piece” after the other in a monotone. My first self-made tablets were my pride and joy and I never thought they would become an important part of my life,” Dr. Penz reflects.
Since then, his work in developing formulation aids, especially in the fields of lactose, has provided him with deep insights into dietary supplement, excipient, and pharmaceutical industries, as well as into corresponding research areas.
Providing educational tools
“Based on these experiences, I now try to ease lives of worldwide colleagues in development, production, and research by means of excipient innovation. A graduate should be able to make use of tools acquired during education,” Dr. Penz declares.
He identifies contacts with universities and educating research institutes as particularly important.
“Here is much fun talking “out of the box” to highly competent colleagues, with even greater passion developed when tough problems can be solved in close collaboration, and a special spirit is generated when partnerships are established,” he writes.
“Fortunately without exception, such institutions have recognized very early that their students have to get fit for real life and professional career; simple structuring or filing of facts is no longer sufficient. A graduate should be able to make use of tools acquired during education,” he insists.
Excipient Learning Topics
Dr. Penz says that supporting interested students from a practical industrial perspective either face to face or via e-learning, now forms one of his most meaningful professional activities, giving guest lectures on demonstrating practical applications and smart processes.
MEGGLE’s educational activities and materials address a wide range of frequently asked questions and relevant topics related to tableting, Direct Compression (DC), dry and wet granulation and powder properties.
Dr. Penz and his team are also able to provide educational support on blends, premixes, triturations, and capsule/sachet filling, along with emerging technologies for continuous manufacturing or use of co-processed excipients.
Hands on experience
MEGGLE can provide lecturers to enrich college and university syllabuses as well as interactive learning aids, on-demand video content, live or remote Webinars and opportunities for students to get ‘hands-on’ at MEGGLE “ExciLabs” around the world.
“Beyond that, MEGGLE can revert to plenty of experience with respect to intern student employees, too. I am consistently happy to discuss current topics,” says Franz Karl Penz.
He says some of the most frequently recurring ‘hot topics’ refer to typical expectations in industries. Indications what significance confident manner, creativity, independent learning, and time management might play in prospective working life.
Sharpening scientific curiosity
“My humble wish is to ignite curiosity about science, to sharpen senses for upcoming evolutions, to contribute a little to avoid making the same mistake twice, as well as to strengthen the belief in consistency,” Dr. Penz says.
“In life it is just about finding your “individual precious piece(s)”. Sometimes, all it takes is a seemingly insignificant hint, a casual comment, a joyful moment, or even illuminating something from a different angle, to make a find. I only realized this afterwards…”, he concludes.
About MEGGLE
Bavarian-based MEGGLE is one of the world’s experts in co-processing and powder technology. From its roots as a dairy operation in the late 1880’s, MEGGLE has become one of the world’s leading manufacturers of pharmaceutical lactose, supplying the pharma market segment with a broad-based and unique lactose product portfolio.
MEGGLE Business Unit Excipients has harnessed outstanding product quality and intelligent innovation to become a global leader in the manufacture of lactose-based excipients, focusing on products for direct tableting and dry powder inhalation.
A multidisciplinary team of committed and highly qualified people allows MEGGLE clients to benefit from pioneering experience and innovative drive in industrial milk and whey processing. The company constantly strives to develop high-tech, functional products for solid dosage forms and DPI applications, where they can deliver maximum performance.
The company has introduced several pioneering products, notably Tablettose®, the world’s first agglomerated lactose for direct tableting, Cellactose® 80, a pioneering co-processed excipient based on cellulose-lactose for outstanding compression and flow properties and RetaLac®, the first direct compression co-processed excipient using a hypromellose-lactose base for sustained release formulations.
To learn more, visit: https://www.meggle-pharma.com/en/home.html
Resources
Click on Lactose: An Unexpected Passion to see original article.
Click on Samples to see full list of MEGGLE compounds that can be provides as educational or research samples.