Computational and Experimental Studies of Single Use Technology in Biomedical Processing

Chemotherapy treatment regimens can be very effective at destroying cancerous tumours in the human body, however they also have a very damaging effect on healthy tissues due to their toxicity. The treatment can be both physically and mentally traumatic. Unfortunately, it is difficult to selectively target the cancerous cells whilst leaving the healthy tissue unharmed. Through the development of drug-eluting stents, it has been possible to reduce the impact of chemotherapy on the rest of the body by placing these stents directly at tumour sites.
Despite these developments, the use of stents have their own challenges and problems. These can include hyperplasia, restenosis, stent migration, and corrosion of the stent, to name a few. Finding an optimal combination of stent material, stent geometry and structure, drug diffusion characteristics, and drug kinetics may help to develop a better treatment option for cancer patients in the future. There may also be some advantages in using biodegradable materials and highly porous materials to construct the stents.

Aims and Objectives

This research aims to develop an effective method of chemotherapy delivery that will minimise the impact on quality of life for cancer patients. This will be achieved by addressing the current issues with stent use and chemotherapy toxicity, and the negative impact they have on the patient. There will be a specific focus on cancers of the throat, e.g. oesophageal cancer, tracheal cancer.
The main objectives of this research will be to:
Investigate stent materials and geometries for optimum drug delivery and stent function
Test the mechanical properties and diffusion characteristics of stent materials and geometries
Develop a mass transfer model for drug eluting stents containing chemotherapeutic drugs
Develop a model to investigate the fluid-structure interaction of stents and flows

Potential Applications and Benefits

If successful, there is the potential to develop a chemotherapy medium that will minimise the negative aspects associated with chemotherapy and stent use, whilst improving the overall effectiveness of the chemotherapy treatment. This research will focus specifically on cancers of the throat but there is the potential for use in other parts of the body where a stent could be placed, e.g. gastro-intestinal cancers.

Relevance to the EPSRC

This research has been identified as relevant to the following EPSRC research topics:
Clinical Technologies (excluding imaging)
Chemical Reaction Dynamics and Mechanisms
Polymer Materials