Lab4life

Formulation & process development

Investigate new technologies developed internally or introduced by our customers:
• Ice nucleation
• Stoppering studies
• Bulk lyophilization
• Process analytical tools
• Quality by Design modeling
• Syringe and vial heat transfer coefficient studies
• Shelf heat transfer enhancements

Technical consultancy and in-house engineering

We can offer assistance in the following areas:
• Assistance with infrastructure and system design
• Process definition
• Facility design
• Clinical and commercial
• New and renovated
• FDA/EMEA compliant
• Compliant material and personnel flows
• Throughput analysis and choke point identification
• Operational procedures
• Staff training
• Equipment specification writing, and testing
• Performance analysis
• Capacity modeling
• Compliance gap analysis
• Streamlining
• Discrete failure analysis
• Product impact analysis

Mehfouz Jalal

Research Scientist at IMALife North America

Mehfouz completed his B.S. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Georgia Tech and M.S. in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University. At IMA Life, Mehfouz is focusing on process development of vaccines and biologics along with scale-up/tech-transfer of processes between freeze dryers using heat and mass transfer modeling. In terms of emerging technologies, Mehfouz’s focus lies in developing continuous freeze-drying processes as an alternative to traditional batch freeze-drying. He was working as an Associate Research Engineer in the LyoHub Consortium for freeze-drying before accepting his current position at IMA Life.

Dennis Posheluk

Technical Product Manager and Associate Scientist at IMA Life North America

Dennis Posheluk is a Technical Product Manager/Associate Scientist at IMA Life North America Inc. Dennis completed his B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering at the University at Buffalo. His interests at IMA Life include fluid and heat transfer, mathematical modeling, and design optimization of spray freeze drying and lyophilization with controlled nucleation process.

Justin Griffiths

Research Scientist at IMA Life North America

Justin completed his B.S. in Chemistry at Niagara University and Ph.D. in Chemistry at University at Buffalo. His work at IMA Life includes pre- and post-lyophilization characterization, cycle development, process optimization, and scale-up/tech-transfer. In addition to these activities, his interests include the development of new heat transfer methods and the development of alternatives to traditional batch freeze drying.

Petr Kazarin

Research Scientist-Engineer at IMA Life North America

Holding a PhD in Aerospace Engineering, Petr has leveraged his rigorous academic background to become a distinguished researcher in vacuum freeze-drying/lyophilization for biopharmaceutical manufacturing. Specializing in heat transfer, multiphysics simulations, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), and mathematical modeling, his expertise has led to significant advancements in lyophilization processes. During his time at LyoHUB, his innovative engineering solutions, developed in collaboration with industry partners, and his advanced experimental lab work, have contributed to the optimization of the lyophilization process. His lab experience is marked by meticulous experiment design, comprehensive data analysis, and effective troubleshooting.
Now at IMA Life, he directs initiatives in freeze-drying process optimization, excels in heat transfer modeling, and spearheads the development of innovative techniques such as spray-freeze-drying and microwave-assisted freeze-drying. His dedication to pushing the boundaries of freeze-drying technology goes hand in hand with his commitment to education and mentorship, solidifying his role as a pivotal figure in his field.

Dave Debo, PE

Senior Engineering Manager at IMA Life North America

Dave is the internal resource of experience for freeze drying products and equipment and lends his over two decades worth of experience in the field of pharmaceutical freeze drying. Dave completed his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Clarkson University and M.E. in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing from Stevens Institute. He is the principal point of contact for designing user requirement specification (URS) for IMA Life customers. Dave currently leads the engineering group for project engineering and supporting sales, existing product management and new product development.