Improving technology transfer by learning from the past

Thesis (M.B.A.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management; and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division; in conjunction with the Leaders for Global Operations Program at MIT, 2010.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 57).Technology transfer is a significant challenge within the highly regulated pharmaceutical industry. While much focus is put on the logistics and strategy of the process, less attention has been paid to how to change the soft, non-technical aspects of technology transfer program management, even though these cultural, communication, and perception aspects may be just as important for project success. The goal of this study was to provide recommendations on how to change these factors to improve the likelihood of project success for pharmaceutical technology transfers. The work was conducted at Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, a large pharmaceutical manufacturer, so the cases studied here were all transfers of complex vaccine processes and products. While the results were intended to be generalizable to intra-firm technology transfers within pharmaceutical companies, some types of possible transfers were not included in this study. The focus of this thesis was on examining different aspects of how companies manage technology transfer projects and correlating these with how successful those projects have been to look for statistically significant relationships. The approach was two-fold: high level surveys and interviews to qualitatively identify commonly seen issues and subsequent effects, followed by a more detailed quantitative survey of individual projects. The results of detailed surveys of individual project found no significant correlations between the studied project management factors and success. Since similar quantitative studies have succeeded in the past, the differences between this study and these previous studies were explored to determine why this particular study did not produce the desired results. Based on the qualitative interview and survey results, the following recommendations were made on how pharmaceutical companies can improve the likelihood of successful technology transfers: 1) increase face-to-face interaction between team members, 2) better align priorities between different functions, sites, and projects, 3) coordinate with corporate senior management to foster collaboration between Research and Technology Development, and 4) fully engage all necessary functions at the start of each project.Paul Witinski.S.M.M.B.A

Single-mode 2.65 µm InGaAsSb/AlInGaAsSb laterally coupled distributed-feedback diode lasers for atmospheric gas detection.

We demonstrate index-coupled distributed-feedback diode lasers at 2.65 µm that are capable of tuning across strong absorption lines of HDO and other isotopologues of H2O. The lasers employ InGaAsSb/AlInGaAsSb multi-quantum-well structures grown by molecular beam epitaxy on GaSb, and single-mode emission is generated using laterally coupled second-order Bragg gratings etched alongside narrow ridge waveguides. We verify near-critical coupling of the gratings by analyzing the modal characteristics of lasers of different length. With an emission facet anti-reflection coating, 2-mm-long lasers exhibit a typical current threshold of 150 mA at 20 °C and are capable of emitting more than 25 mW in a single longitudinal mode, which is significantly higher than the output power reported for loss-coupled distributed-feedback lasers operating at similar wavelengths

Broadband detection of methane and nitrous oxide using a distributed-feedback quantum cascade laser array and quartz-enhanced photoacoustic sensing

Here we report on the broadband detection of nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) mixtures in dry nitrogen by using a quartz-enhanced photoacoustic (QEPAS) sensor exploiting an array of 32 distributed-feedback quantum cascade lasers, within a spectral emission range of 1190−1340 cm−1 as the excitation source. Methane detection down to a minimum detection limit of 200 ppb at 10 s lock-in integration time was achieved. The sensor demonstrated a linear response in the range of 200−1000 ppm. Three different mixtures of N2O and CH4 in nitrogen at atmospheric pressure have been analyzed. The capability of the developed QEPAS sensor to selectively determine the N2O and CH4 concentrations was demonstrated, in spite of significant overlap in their respective absorption spectra in the investigated spectral range

Untangling the chemical evolution of Titan's atmosphere and surface–from homogeneous to heterogeneous chemistry

The arrival of the Cassini-Huygens probe at Saturn's moon Titan - the only Solar System body besides Earth and Venus with a solid surface and a thick atmosphere with a pressure of 1.4 atm at surface level - in 2004 opened up a new chapter in the history of Solar System exploration. The mission revealed Titan as a world with striking Earth-like landscapes involving hydrocarbon lakes and seas as well as sand dunes and lava-like features interspersed with craters and icy mountains of hitherto unknown chemical composition. The discovery of a dynamic atmosphere and active weather system illustrates further the similarities between Titan and Earth. The aerosol-based haze layers, which give Titan its orange-brownish color, are not only Titan's most prominent optically visible features, but also play a crucial role in determining Titan's thermal structure and chemistry. These smog-like haze layers are thought to be very similar to those that were present in Earth's atmosphere before life developed more than 3.8 billion years ago, absorbing the destructive ultraviolet radiation from the Sun, thus acting as 'prebiotic ozone' to preserve astrobiologically important molecules on Titan. Compared to Earth, Titan's low surface temperature of 94 K and the absence of liquid water preclude the evolution of biological chemistry as we know it. Exactly because of these low temperatures, Titan provides us with a unique prebiotic 'atmospheric laboratory' yielding vital clues - at the frozen stage - on the likely chemical composition of the atmosphere of the primitive Earth. However, the underlying chemical processes, which initiate the haze formation from simple molecules, have been not understood well to date

FTIR SPECTROMETERS UTILIZING MID-INFRARED QUANTUM CASCADE LASERS

Author Institution: School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138; Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138; Bruker Optics, 19 Fortune Drive, Billerica, Massachusetts, 01821A Fabry-Perot Quantum Cascade Laser source can be used in conjunction with a Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer to perform spectroscopic experiments that require orders of magnitude more photons than are emitted by a thermally radiant blackbody source. Three proof-of-concept experiments including laser transmission through liquids, transmission through gases over long distances, and reflection from powders and tablets demonstrated how the increased brightness of a Quantum Cascade Laser enables many important avenues in gas and condensed phase analysis

Single-mode 2.65 \u3bcm InGaAsSb/AlInGaAsSb laterally coupled distributed-feedback diode lasers for atmospheric gas detection

We demonstrate index-coupled distributed-feedback diode lasers at 2.65 \u3bcm that are capable of tuning across strong absorption lines of HDO and other isotopologues of H2O. The lasers employ InGaAsSb/AlInGaAsSb multi-quantum-well structures grown by molecular beam epitaxy on GaSb, and single-mode emission is generated using laterally coupled second-order Bragg gratings etched alongside narrow ridge waveguides. We verify nearcritical coupling of the gratings by analyzing the modal characteristics of lasers of different length. With an emission facet anti-reflection coating, 2-mm-long lasers exhibit a typical current threshold of 150 mA at 20 \ub0C and are capable of emitting more than 25 mW in a single longitudinal mode, which is significantly higher than the output power reported for losscoupled distributed-feedback lasers operating at similar wavelengths. \ua9 2013 Optical Society of America.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye

Nitrous oxide quartz-enhanced photoacoustic detection employing a broadband distributed-feedback quantum cascade laser array

We present a gas sensing system based on quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS) employing a monolithic distributed-feedback quantum cascade laser (QCL) array operated in a pulsed mode as a light source. The array consists of 32 quantum cascade lasers emitting in a spectral range from 1190 cm-1 to 1340 cm-1. The optoacoustic detection module was composed of a custom quartz tuning fork with a prong spacing of 1 mm, coupled with two micro-resonator tubes to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio. The QEPAS sensor was validated by detecting the absorption of the P- and R-branches of nitrous oxide. The measurements were performed by switching the array QCLs in sequence while tuning their operating temperature to retrieve the fine structure of the two N2O branches. A sensor calibration was performed, demonstrating a linear responsivity for N2O:N2 concentrations from 1000 down to 200 parts-per-million. With a 10 s lock-in integration time, a detection sensitivity of less than 60 parts-per-billion was achieved permitting the monitoring of nitrous oxide at global atmospheric levels