(251g) Micro-Molecular Scale Modelling of Electro-Chemotherapy

Electrical field-based technology has been proposed and is used to advance many areas in the medical field. This field of study includes radiology or imaging, neurology, and recently drug delivery, including the field of oncology. Electro-chemotherapy is a novel application of this technology that is in need of additional investigation to further conduct effective product design and development within the field. Electro-chemotherapy specifically involves the use of a systemic or intratumoral drug injection in conjunction with an electrically generated impulse applied to the specific site of growth. The electrical impulse is applied in order to increase membrane permeability to allow access of the anticancer drug into the cytosol. After the impulse, the membrane reseals and the anticancer drug exerts its cytotoxicity. The main focus of this contribution is to model with the use of fundamental principles to further investigate the mechanisms by which drug is delivered inside the cellular membrane driven by external forces, such as: the order magnitude of the applied electrical field and drug concentration gradient. The potential role of cellular geometry on the concentration profile of the anticancer drug across the membrane is also investigated. Several cases and scenarios are presented with conclusions for the Electro-chemotherapy treatment.