CRYDIS · Project

Better Drug Dissolution Testing to Fix Poorly Soluble Medicines

healthPrototypeTRL 4

pharmacy.ku.dk

Many promising drugs fail because they dissolve in the stomach but then clump back together before the body can absorb them — like sugar dissolving in hot tea and then crystallizing again as it cools. CRYDIS built advanced UV imaging tools that let scientists actually watch this process happen in real time at a microscopic level. They tested these tools across multiple labs and pH conditions that mimic the human gut, so pharmaceutical teams can finally see exactly when and why a drug re-crystallizes. With that knowledge, companies can redesign their formulations to keep the drug dissolved long enough to work.

By the numbers

consortium partners across 3 countries

60%

industry ratio in consortium

total project deliverables

gastrointestinal pH levels tested (1.2, 5.4, 6.8, 7.4)

EUR 216,000

EU contribution

The business problem

What needed solving

Pharmaceutical companies lose millions when promising drug compounds dissolve in the gut but then re-crystallize before the body absorbs them. This re-precipitation problem means patients don't get an effective dose, forcing costly reformulation cycles. Current standard dissolution tests don't show what's actually happening at the particle level, so companies are essentially guessing at solutions.

The solution

What was built

The team built a prototype UV imaging assay combined with Raman spectroscopy that watches drug particles dissolve and re-precipitate in real time. They also created a screening assay for precipitation inhibitors, validated UV imaging methods at 4 gastrointestinal pH levels, and established robustness parameters across multiple labs.

Audience

Who needs this

Pharmaceutical companies with poorly soluble drug candidates in their pipelineAnalytical instrument companies developing dissolution testing equipmentContract research organizations offering preclinical drug screening servicesGeneric drug manufacturers needing to match originator bioavailabilityExcipient suppliers developing precipitation inhibitor additives

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Pharmaceutical formulation

enterprise

Target: Drug development companies working on poorly soluble compounds

If you are a pharma formulation team struggling with low bioavailability of poorly soluble drug candidates — this project developed a prototype UV imaging assay combined with Raman spectroscopy that shows exactly when dissolution fails. It was validated across multiple labs and tested at 4 gastrointestinal pH levels (1.2, 5.4, 6.8, and 7.4). This means you can screen formulations faster and catch re-precipitation problems before expensive clinical trials.

Analytical instrument manufacturing

mid-size

Target: Makers of pharmaceutical testing and quality control equipment

If you are an instrument company looking for next-generation dissolution testing capabilities — this project produced optimized experimental setups combining UV imaging with Raman spectroscopy and ATR-FTIR. With 3 industry partners out of 5 in the consortium, the technology was developed with commercial viability in mind. The validated operating parameters and robustness data from 14 deliverables provide a foundation for new product lines.

Contract research organizations (CROs)

any

Target: CROs offering preclinical drug testing services

If you are a CRO that screens drug candidates for pharmaceutical clients — this project built a screening assay for precipitation inhibitors and a combined pH-UV imaging method covering the full gastrointestinal pH range. These tools let you offer higher-resolution dissolution data than standard tests, differentiating your services. The methods were validated against established techniques like the Woods apparatus, giving your clients confidence in the results.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to implement these dissolution testing methods in our lab?

The project does not disclose per-unit costs for the UV imaging equipment or assay kits. The total EU contribution was EUR 216,000 across 5 partners over 4 years, which funded a staff exchange and research programme rather than commercial product development. You would need to discuss licensing and equipment costs directly with the consortium partners.

Can these methods scale to high-throughput pharmaceutical screening?

The project developed a screening assay for precipitation inhibitors and validated UV imaging methods across multiple labs, which suggests reproducibility at scale. However, the deliverables describe prototype-level and feasibility-stage tools rather than industrial-throughput systems. Scaling would likely require further engineering.

Who owns the intellectual property and can we license the technology?

The project was coordinated by the University of Copenhagen under an MSCA-RISE grant with 3 industry partners and 2 SMEs. IP arrangements would follow the consortium agreement. Based on available project data, specific patent filings are not mentioned in the deliverables.

Has this been validated against existing pharmaceutical testing standards?

Yes — deliverable D1.7 specifically validated UV imaging data by comparison to other microscale dissolution tests and data from the Woods apparatus, which is an established method. Operating parameters for robustness and between-lab variability were also formally established in deliverable D16.

How long would it take to integrate these methods into our existing workflow?

The project ran from 2015 to 2018 and produced optimized experimental setups within the first 12 months. However, as these are research-grade prototypes validated in academic labs, integration into a commercial QC or R&D workflow would require adaptation. Timeline depends on your existing UV imaging infrastructure.

Does this work with our existing dissolution testing equipment?

The methods use UV imaging combined with Raman spectroscopy and ATR-FTIR — these are specialized analytical techniques. Deliverable D1.1 describes an optimized setup for performing dissolution testing with simultaneous UV imaging and Raman spectroscopy. You would likely need compatible UV imaging hardware from one of the consortium's industry partners.

Consortium

Who built it

CRYDIS has an unusually high industry involvement for a research exchange programme — 3 out of 5 partners (60%) are from industry, including 2 SMEs, alongside the University of Copenhagen and one other university. The consortium spans Denmark, Ireland, and the UK. This industry-heavy mix suggests the methods were developed with practical pharmaceutical applications in mind, not just academic curiosity. However, the MSCA-RISE funding scheme (EUR 216,000 over 4 years) is modest and focused on staff exchanges rather than product development, so the commercial pathway depends on the industry partners' own R&D investment beyond the project.

KOBENHAVNS UNIVERSITETCoordinator · DK
PFIZER LIMITEDparticipant · UK
PION INC.(UK) LTDparticipant · UK
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE CORK - NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND, CORKparticipant · IE

How to reach the team

University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Pharmacy — reach out to the Pharmaceutical Physical and Analytical Chemistry group

Order a report on this consortium See KOBENHAVNS UNIVERSITET profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want an introduction to the CRYDIS team? SciTransfer can connect you with the researchers behind these dissolution testing methods — contact us for a briefing.

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