(365d) Fluid Dynamics of Drug Delivery and Organismal Fluidic Interactions

My research expertise lies in medical devices, fluid dynamics, complex fluids, and drug delivery, with my doctoral research focusing on the fluid dynamics of intradermal drug delivery. I studied the hydrodynamics of needle-free jet injectors, improving delivery efficiency from ~65% to ~95% in ex vivo skin models, and investigating the role of fluid properties and rheology on delivery efficiency and jetting dynamics. I also explored feasibility of novel techniques such as laser and spark-induced jetting in drug delivery. Additionally, I studied the fluid dynamics of drug delivery via tattooing and to the front of the eye via eye drops, minimizing drug wastage by making droplet spreading faster than the blink reflex. My research also included studying mechanisms involved in fluid-driven cracking processes like hydraulic fracturing, and ancient disease diagnostic techniques based on interfacial spreading of fluids.

During postdoc, I have focused on developing low-cost hardware for intracellular delivery of nucleic acids. Addressing the limitations of lipid nanoparticle (LNP) mRNA vaccines, we developed the ePatch, a $1 handheld electroporator for naked mRNA delivery. The ePatch showed comparable in vivo expression to conventional methods without the need of carriers and demonstrated excellent safety and minimal pain in human trials. I am exploring its potential in gene therapy and vaccine development, including enhancing red blood cell production and immune responses to mRNA-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. I have also focused significant research efforts on fluid dynamics involved in organismal interacting with fluids. My work includes investigating how semi-aquatic organisms walk on water, viscoelastic jetting from micron-scale nozzles in termites, and the physics of filter-feeding in flamingoes. In this research, I have discovered unique fluid dynamics phenomena which can be utilized in designing efficient microrobots. In summary, I have successfully addressed diverse research challenges across pharmaceutics, bioengineering, and chemical engineering using my technical skills and critical thinking. I aim to leverage this expertise and skills to solve major industry challenges.

Research Interests: Fluid dynamics, Transport phenomena, Medical Devices, Drug Delivery, Complex Fluids.

Related Oral and/or Poster Presentations:
720b: ePatch: An Ultra-Low-Cost Handheld Electroporator for Intradermal Delivery of mRNA
584c: Vortical Interactions in Nature