Nanoparticulate systems have been widely used in diagnostic imaging and targeted therapeutic applications in recent years. One of the major challenges in nanomedicine is to improve particle selectivity and adhesion efficiency under complex vascular flow conditions. To deliver nanomedicine directly to the desired diseased tissue while minimizing deposition/uptake by healthy tissues along the pathway, the design of nanoparticle need to be considered together with the diseased region's physical parameters (e.g. vascular diameter, blood flow rate, surface area, etc). The goal of the proposed career development strategy is to uncover the adhesion dynamics of nanoparticles and predict targeted delivery efficacy under complex vascular environment through a multiscale modeling approach. In pursue of this goal, a 3D multiscale model of nanoparticle transport, dispersion, and adhesion dynamics will be developed. Such model will be used to predict particle delivery efficacy in idealized vascular networks and vasculatures reconstructed from scanned images. A fully integrated multiscale model, linking different functional biological scales, imaging and physical system, will allow system level nanomedicine evaluation for the first time.
The proposed multiscale simulation based method will provide a rigorous mathematical model of nanoparticle adhesion dynamics under complex vascular environment. Results of this work will pave the way toward new nanomedicine design and dosage choice guidances for targeted drug delivery. The proposed interdisciplinary research compliments the PI's educational goals by integrating research into educational and outreach activities such as graduate and undergraduate courses and engineering summer camps. An interactive website hosting graduate student's research projects will be created to allow high-school students to learn bio-nanotechnology online. The education plan will increase the awareness among high school teachers and students of the potential biomedical applications of nanotechnology, to advance understanding of nano-bio interfacial phenomena for students at all levels, and to increase minority participation in science and engineering.
