Numerical model fully depicting nanoparticle uptake within brain after ultrasound induced Blood-Brain Barrier opening

by Allegra Conti (CEA/NeuroSpin, France)

Thursday 13 Jul 2017, 11:00 → 13:00 Europe/Rome

Aula Seminari (LNF)

Low intensity Focused Ultrasound (FUS) combined with microbubbles open the Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB) locally and noninvasively, allowing the passage of nanoparticles into the brain. However, since the quantity of particles that can be delivered with this technique depends on multiple parameters such as tissue properties, particle properties and acoustic parameters, so far a model fully predicting the result of a FUS induced BBB opening experiment is missing. During this seminar, a mathematical model depicting both the vascular permeability as a function of time and the diffusion process occurring in brain tissue will be introduced. This model takes into account acoustic pressure, particle size, blood pharmacokinetics and diffusion rates. It was validated by performing in vivo delivery of nanoparticles with different hydrodynamic diameters in rats. The match with the experimental data proves the feasibility of this novel method to successfully predict and plan drug distribution after a BBB opening experiment.