Changquan Calvin Sun Lab
Pharmaceutical Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory
Department of Pharmaceutics
College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota
Our research focuses on manufacturing science of solid dosage forms, such as tablets and capsules. Formulation and process development is achieved by a clear scientific understanding of powders, including their flow and compaction properties. In this way, design replaces trial and error, and improved quality results.
We rely on three levels of control to attain the desired powder properties for successful manufacturing: (1) study and specification of the physico-mechanical properties of drugs; (2) incorporation of appropriate excipients for optimum mechanical properties; and (3) optimization of processes such as mixing, granulation, and compaction, based on a mechanistic understanding.
People
Dr. Changquan Calvin Sun – Lab Supervisor, sunx0053@umn.edu
Mr. Hongbo Chen – PhD Student (Sept. 2015-Present), chen4515@umn.edu
Ms. Joan Cheng – PhD Student (Sept. 2019-Present), cheng842@umn.edu
Mr. Jiangnan Dun – PhD Student (Sept. 2014-Present), dunxx004@umn.edu
Ms. Yiwang Guo – PhD Student (Jan. 2016-Present), guoxx836@umn.edu
Ms. Shenye Hu – PhD Student (Sept. 2014-Present), huxxx839@umn.edu
Ms. Zhengxuan Liang – MS Student (Sept. 2018-Present), liang650@umn.edu
Dr. Manish Mishra – Post-Doctoral Associate (August 2018-Present), mmishra@umn.edu
Mr. Gerrit Vreeman – PhD Student (Sept. 2018-Present), vreem012@umn.edu
Dr. Chenguang Wang – Post-Doctoral Associate (June 2016-Present), wang4889@umn.edu
Ms. Kunlin Wang – PhD Student (Sept. 2015-Present), wang3248@umn.edu
Mr. Shan Wang – Visiting Scholar (Nov. 2019-Present), wang9664@umn.edu
Prof. Jun Wen – Visiting Scientist (May 2019-Present), wen00065@umn.edu
Past Members
Dr. Shao-Yu Chang – PhD Student (Sept. 2012-May 2019)
Dr. Sayantan Chattoraj – PhD Student (Sept. 2008-Nov. 2012)
Prof. Jiamei Chen – Visiting Scholar (Dec. 2015-Dec. 2016)
Dr. Miles Chen – Assistant Scientist (Apr. 2010-Dec. 2010)
Dr. Xingchu Gong – Visiting Scholar (Dec. 2013-Dec. 2014)
Prof. Xin He – Visiting Scholar (Feb. 2015-Feb. 2016)
Ms. Cosima Hirschberg – Visiting Scholar (May 2018-Sept. 2018)
Dr. Xiang Kou – Post-Doctoral Fellow (Aug. 2011-Nov. 2012)
Ms. Lili Liu – Visiting Scholar (Aug. 2015-Sept. 2016)
Mr. Sibo Liu – MS Student (Sept. 2017-July 2019)
Prof. Shuyu Liu – Visiting Scholar (Feb. 2016-Jan. 2017)
Dr. Benyong Lou – Visiting Scholar (Oct. 2013-Oct. 2014)
Dr. Frederick Osei-Yeboah – PhD Student (Sept. 2010-Sept. 2015)
Dr. Sarsvat Patel – Post-Doctoral Fellow (Apr. 2010-Aug. 2012)
Dr. Shubhajit Paul – Post-Doctoral Fellow (Jan. 2014-Mar. 2019)
Dr. Reddy Perumalla – Research Associate (Apr. 2010-Dec. 2015)
Dr. Limin Shi – Research Associate (Feb. 2009-Oct. 2014)
Mr. Zhongyang Shi – MS Student (Sept. 2017-July 2019)
Mr. Byoung-Hwa Son – Visiting Scientist (June 2010-June 2011)
Dr. Wei-Jhe Sun – PhD Student (Sept. 2012-Dec. 2017)
Mr. Majeed Ullah – Visiting PhD Student (Jan. 2014-July 2014)
Mr. Chenguang Wang – Visiting Scholar (June 2013-Sept. 2013, Dec. 2014-Oct. 2015)
Prof. Mingjun Wang – Visiting Scholar (Mar. 2016-Mar. 2017)
Prof. Wenxi Wang – Visiting Scholar (Mar. 2016-Mar. 2017)
Dr. Hiroyuki Yamashita – Research Scholar (Dec. 2015-Nov. 2016)
Ms. Hao Ye – Visiting Scientist (Aug. 2011-Nov. 2011)
Ms. Liang Zhengxuan – Visiting Scholar (Jan. 2018-June 2018)
Prof. Qun Zhou – Visiting Assoc. Research Professor (May 2011-May 2012)
Mr. Ling Zhu – MS Student (Sept. 2016-July 2019)
Instrumentation
Compaction simulator (the only unit in a pharmacy school in the U.S.)
- Collecting fundamental physical parameters during tableting
- Material sparing (1 – 5 g of powder)
- Vast amount of information available, e.g., ejection force, take-off force, radial die-wall stress, compaction pressure-time profile, volume-time profile, tensile strength – pressure profile
- Variable tableting speeds (capable of simulating most commercial tablet presses and roller compactors)
- Flexible with tablet size and shape
- Reliable prediction of success or failure during scale up
Ring shear cell
- A well-established methodology
- Predictive of powder flow property during powder transfer processes
- Flow function, cohesion, and internal friction angle, bulk density
- Superior to any other methods that assess flow property based on single point measurement
- A large in-house flow database is available
Zwick universal material testing machine
- A wide range of force (0.1 – 200 kN)
- User-friendly software enabling study of relaxation and creep behavior
- Controlled by force or displacement
- Variable speed (0.01 - 100 mm/s)
Texture analyzer
- High sensitivity (8 mN – 500 N)
- Suitable for micro-indentation, film adhesion, mechanical properties of film, tablet tensile strength, breaking strength of granules
Nano-indenter
- Suitable for studying mechanical properties of single crystals, films, and other small specimen
- Exceptional sensitivity and spatial resolution
Other Instruments
Powder characterization
- Helium pycnometer
- Atomic force microscope (AFM)
- Particle size analyzer
- Scanning electron microscope (SEM)
- Environmental SEM
- X-Ray micro-tomography (micro-CT)
- Zygo optical profilometer/Tencor stylus profilometer
- Gas sorptometer (ASAP 2000)
- Contact Angle Goniometer
Solid-state characterization
- X-ray diffractometry (powder and single crystal) with temperature control
- Moisture sorption apparatus
- Thermo-gravimetry analyzer (TGA)
- Differential scanning calorimeter (DSC)
- Thermal mechanical analyzer (TMA)
- Transmission electron microscope (TEM)
- X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS)
- Rotating disc dissolution rate apparatus (RDDR)
- FTIR and Raman spectroscopy
Processing equipment
- Lab scale spray-drier
- Crystallizer (1 liter)
- Lab-scale micronizer (Jet-mill)
- PK blender
- High shear granulator (1L, custom made; RotoLab, 1.8L)
- Turbula mixer (Model T2F)
- Comil (Model U5, underdriven)
Modeling
- Materials Studio & Cambridge Crystal Database (supported by Minnesota Supercomputing Institute)
Collaboration Opportunities
We welcome opportunities to collaborate with industry on challenging projects. Some examples of such collaboration are listed below.
1. Assessing manufacturability of a formulation
a. Powder flow
b. Powder tabletability
c. Hygroscopicity
d. Drug release profile
e. Sticking tendency
2. Profiling solid-state properties of drugs and excipients
a. Polymorph screening and characterization
b. Salt screening
c. Cocrystal screening
d. Crystallinity
e. Crystal structure elucidation
f. Thermodynamic stability relationship
g. Process-induced crystal form conversion (trouble-shooting and control)
h. Drug-excipient compatibility
3. Profiling mechanical properties (crystal and powder)
a. Yield strength (in-die and out-of-die Heckel analysis)
b. Young’s modulus and tensile strength
c. Indentation hardness (nano- or micro-)
d. True density
e. Porosity of irregular specimens
f. Understanding tabletability, compressibility, compactibility, and elastic recovery, etc., under realistic manufacturing conditions
g. Mechanical behavior under high (GPa) pressures
4. Powder engineering (feasibility tests)
a. Formulation development
b. Process understanding (direct compression, dry and wet granulation)
c. Surface engineering for enhanced pharmaceutical properties
5. Instrument sharing
a. Easy access to state-of-the-art instruments
b. Cost savings on instrument maintenance and human resources
c. Ready access to expert guidance and training
d. Rapid turnaround time
e. High quality data
Links
Articles
CrystEngComm, Volume 22, Number 7 [2020]
The landscape of mechanical properties of molecular cyrstals
Chemistry of Materials, Volume 31, Number 10 [2019]
Twistable Pharmaceutical Crystal Exhibiting Exceptional
CrystEngComm, Issue 13 [2019]
Robust bulk preparation and characterization of sulfamethazine and accharine salt and cocrystal ploymorphs
CrystEngComm, Issue 37 [2018]
Lack of dependence of mechanical properties of baicalein cocrystals on those of the constitutent components
CrystEngComm, Issue 44 [2013]
Synthon preference in O-protonated amide crystals – dominance of short strong hydrogen bonds
CrystEngComm, Issue 7 [2012]
Ionized form of acetaminophen with improved compaction properties