Using Magnetic Particles for improved Drug Delivery

Research goal

 One of the main problems of chemotherapy is often not the lack of efficient drugs, but the inability to precisely deliver and concentrate these drugs in affected areas. Failure to provide localized targeting results in an increase of toxic effects on neighboring organs and tissues. One promising method to accomplish precise targeting is magnetic drug delivery. Here, a drug is bound to a magnetic compound injected into the blood stream. The targeted areas are subjected to an external magnetic field that is able to affect the blood stream by reducing its flow rate. We believe that mathematical modeling and numerical simulations can significantly contribute to further advancements of this technique.

Contours of the local deposition efficiency (ζ ) in the upper- and central-airways human respiratory system for the magnetic-core particles (dp = 3μm, St=4.3 × 10−2, Mnp=1.7 × 10−1) without (a) and with imposed magnetic field gradient (b), demonstrating potentials of the MDT, Kenjeres (2016)

Collaborators

Prof. J. S. Szmyd
Dr. E. Fornalik-Wajs

Cooperations

Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam
Leiden University Medical Center

Funded by

TU Delft
ZonMw