How Sprays Help Researchers Maintain Accurate Dosing in 2025 — RCT

 In 2025 through 2026, the technology of spray-based delivery systems became a standardized means of delivering precise amounts of drugs in research. The increasing number of researchers using microgram-milligram dosage range and the risk that small mistakes can invalidate pharmacokinetic (PK) and safety information has made spray systems a necessary part of many researchers' processes, not just a convenient option for them.

Spray systems differ from older types of systems in that they are not simply a method of delivering liquids; they also have developed an entire engineering and regulatory infrastructure around them.

A New Standard for Actuator Validation

Because of the advances made in spray delivery systems, by the year 2026, validating the performance of spray actuators requires more than just a single calibration. The most advanced laboratories use a multiple layer approach to validating the spray actuator. They perform evaluations of three separate areas of performance including:

1. Consistency of mechanical output (mass per actuation) over thousands of actuation/growth for the same spray actuator

2. Aerosol plume geometry and droplet-size distribution

3. Frequency drift due to long-term use and storage

This multiple tiered validation process is indicative of a trend in the research community where sponsors and regulators are treating the actuator as a dosing component rather than simply a passive accessory. Therefore it is becoming increasingly recognized that any claims associated with a spray actuator without having gone through an actuator validation are only partial claims.

Solvent Stability and the Chemistry Problem

Sprays also forced researchers to confront solvent-related stability risks head-on. By 2026, mitigating these risks especially in advanced formulations such as spray-dried amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs) requires an integration of:

• Green chemistry solvent selection

• Thermodynamic modeling to predict recrystallization and phase separation

• Controlled secondary drying to stabilize amorphous states

This level of formulation science has made spray systems viable even for chemically sensitive compounds previously limited to solid oral forms.

Where Sprays Outperform Capsules and Pellets

Industry data now consistently shows that spray delivery systems outperform solid oral formats most clearly in:

• Phase I trials (PK profiling, safety, bioavailability)

• Phase II studies (dose-ranging and proof-of-concept)

The reason is straightforward: bypassing the digestive system. Sublingual, nasal, and topical sprays reduce first-pass metabolism and intersubject variability, enabling faster signal detection with smaller cohorts, an economic and ethical advantage in early-stage research.

Regulatory Pressure Is Accelerating Adoption

Regulatory scrutiny has intensified sharply following the February 1, 2026 enforcement of the updated EMA Guideline on Inhalation and Nasal Products. Both the EMA and FDA now prioritize documentation that explicitly links:

• Device performance

• Pharmaceutical quality

• Lifecycle traceability

In audits, spray-based systems often outperform solids because the dose pathway can be mathematically reconstructed, from bulk solution concentration to delivered volume per actuation.

Educational and sourcing platforms such as Research Chemicals Team (RCT)
are frequently cited by laboratories for compound-level documentation, handling guidance, and methodological context, supporting compliance-focused research environments.