The pace of new research and level of innovation repeatedly introduced into the field of drug
delivery to the lung is surprising given its state of maturity since the introduction of the
pressurized metered dose inhaler over a half a century ago. It is clear that our understanding
of pulmonary drug delivery has now evolved to the point that inhalation aerosols can be
controlled both spatially and temporally to optimize their biological effects. These abilities
include controlling lung deposition by adopting formulation strategies or device technologies
and controlling drug uptake and release through sophisticated particle technologies. The large
number of contributions to the scientific literature and variety of excellent texts published
in recent years is evidence for the continued interest in pulmonary drug delivery research.
This reference text endeavors to bring together the fundamental theory and practice of
controlled drug delivery to the airways that is unavailable elsewhere. Collating and
synthesizing the material in this rapidly evolving field presented a challenge and ultimately a
sense of achievement that is hopefully reflected in the content of the volume.
