R. Harris Cummings, Ph.D.
Scientific Fellow, MDI Development

David Lechuga, Ph.D.
Principal Scientist, Particle Sciences and Technology

R. Harris Cummings, Ph.D.

Scientific Fellow, MDI Development

Dr. Cummings started working in the pharmaceutical industry in 1988 and has been directly involved in the development of all inhalation dosage forms since 1992. Prior to joining Pearl he provided consulting services to start-ups and small pharmaceutical companies developing inhaled therapeutic products. For 12 years Harris was the head of the inhalation product development group at Magellan Laboratories (later Cardinal Health) which provided method development, analytical testing, formulation development and technical support for DPI’s, MDI’s, nasal sprays and inhalation devices. He also established the clinical and commercial manufacturing program at Cardinal Health including the design and construction of the existing manufacturing facility. Harris has served as a member of the Executive Committee and as Chair of the Inhalation Technology Focus Group of the AAPS, was involved with the ITFG/IPAC collaborations to respond to FDA draft guidances and is currently a member of the <601> Expert Aerosol Committee of the USP.

Before joining Magellan Laboratories, Harris was a senior scientist in the analytical department of Marion Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals. Harris received bachelors’ degrees in chemistry and German from Bradley University and a Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from Purdue University.

David Lechuga, Ph.D.

Principal Scientist, Particle Sciences and Technology

Dr. Lechuga-Ballesteros has over sixteen years of industrial experience, most of them devoted to the development of inhalation products. Prior to Pearl, David worked at Aridis Pharmaceuticals developing inhaled human monoclonal antibodies and antibiotic formulations for the treatment of cystic fibrosis; and at Nektar Therapeutics where he established and directed the pharmaceutical materials sciences function which enabled the design of dispersible and stable spray dried powders for inhalation, such as Exubera®, inhaled insulin. He contributed to the development of Norvir®, a protease inhibitor for the treatment of AIDS at Abbott Laboratories. David is a leading applied scientist in the field of physical pharmacy, with co-authorship of more than 80 publications (peer reviewed papers, book chapters, invited reviews and abstracts), and inventorship on more than a dozen patents. David is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Connecticut, and a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmaceutical Research, and Molecular Pharmaceuticals. He is also a Steering Committee member of the AAPS Nanotechnology Focus Group.

David earned his B.S. from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México in 1984, and Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 1993.