Positive pressure infusion of therapeutic agents into brain tissues: Mathematical and experimental simulations

Issue title: Frontiers of Medical Informatics

Guest editors: Takami Yamaguchi and Shigeo Wada

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Gillies, George T.^{a; b; *} | Smith, Joshua H.^a | Humphrey, Joseph A. C.^a | Broaddus, William C.^b

Affiliations: [a] Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Virginia, P.O. Box 400746, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4746, USA | [b] Department of Neurosurgery, Virginia Commonwealth University, P.O. Box 980631, Richmond, VA 23298-0631, USA | Department of Bioengineering and Robotics, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, 6-1-1 Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba, Sendai 980-8579, Japan

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 434 924 7634; Fax: +1 434 924 4576; E-mail: gtg@virginia.edu.

Abstract: Positive pressure infusion is a clinical means of achieving convection-enhanced delivery of therapeutic agents within the tissues of the central nervous system for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme and other diseases of the brain. We have developed a mathematical model of the technique and an in vitro gelatin surrogate for it, which provide biophysical insights into the performance characteristics of candidate infusion systems and drug delivery protocols. We present a brief overview of the clinical problems that are being addressed, succinctly describe the mathematical and in vitro models used in our laboratories, and highlight some representative results from our studies. A number of references to related work are provided for those seeking further details.

DOI: 10.3233/THC-2005-13403

Journal: Technology and Health Care, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 235-243, 2005