Macroscopic Modeling of In Vivo Drug Transport in Electroporated Tissue

Abstract

This study develops a macroscopic model of mass transport in electroporated biological tissue in order to predict the cellular drug uptake. The change in the macroscopic mass transport coefficient is related to the increase in electrical conductivity resulting from the applied electric field. Additionally, the model considers the influences of both irreversible electroporation (IRE) and the transient resealing of the cell membrane associated with reversible electroporation. Two case studies are conducted to illustrate the applicability of this model by comparing transport associated with two electrode arrangements: sidebyside arrangement and the clamp arrangement. The results show increased drug transmission to viable cells is possible using the clamp arrangement due to the more uniform electric field.