Model systems for exchange of liquid between different aerosol sources: application in disease risk during aerosol therapies

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The aim of this project is to assess processes whereby aerosol droplets can pick up components of another liquid from interaction either with a second aerosol stream or with a liquid surface. The process is of interest to the industrial partner in order to understand whether it is plausible that such a mechanism could produce additional infectious aerosol (for example, due to COVID infection in the patient) during nebuliser-based therapy. These are fundamental scientific questions, and to address them aspects of the physics and chemistry of aerosols need to be combined with the biology of respiratory infections. Specifically, this question requires modelling and experiments on the transport of liquids between droplets during aerosol mixing and on the deposition of therapeutic aerosols on airway surfaces. These questions are of tremendous importance to industry, especially in developing safe pharmaceutical aerosol therapies. Previously, a lack of scientific understanding in this area has resulted in misleading guidance with regards to the relative safety of aerosol therapies to other patients and healthcare providers.