Speaker
Description
Focused ultrasound (FUS) combined with thermosensitive liposomes (TSLs) offers a strategy for localized drug delivery in solid tumors. To investigate the mechanisms governing this therapy, we develop a spatiotemporal multiphysics model of ultrasound-triggered nano-drug delivery in tumor tissue. The framework consists of a coupled system of partial differential equations describing acoustic propagation, bioheat transfer, interstitial fluid flow, drug transport, and pharmacodynamic tumor response. Ultrasound propagation is modeled using the Helmholtz equation, while convection–diffusion equations describe drug transport and temperature-dependent release from liposomes. The equations are solved using finite element methods to quantify temperature fields, drug release dynamics, and intracellular drug accumulation. Simulations are used to examine how ultrasound exposure time and liposomal release kinetics influence spatiotemporal drug distribution in tumors. Parametric analysis of three release regimes (ultrafast, fast, slow) and three exposure durations (10, 30, 60 min) shows that a 30 min exposure combined with rapid drug release maximizes therapeutic response by increasing drug accumulation within tumor tissue while limiting delivery to healthy regions. These results demonstrate how coupled acoustic, thermal, and transport processes regulate ultrasound-mediated drug delivery and highlight the value of multiphysics modeling for optimizing nanomedicine-based cancer therapies.
