(192l) Analysis of a 2D Iontophoretic System Using an Area Averaging Approach

Alisa J. Kidwell; Mario A. Oyanader and Steffano L. Oyanader

Chemical Engineering Departments, California Baptist University, 8432 Magnolia Ave. Riverside, CA 92504, E-mail: moyanader@calbaptist.edu

Subcutaneous drug delivery has been use for many years as an alternative treatment for patients with vascular limitations among others. As new technological developments emerge, more practical applications are made possible with this transdermal technique of transport of species. Patients with epilepsy, advance pregnancy, heart condition, artificial joints, and lumps, to name a few, benefit from this less disruptive treatment protocol. Exploratory analysis and optimization from fundamental principles may help to identify tuning parameters and parameter range values for a more effective delivery of drug.

In this contribution, we present a systematic approach to analyze the role of cutaneously applied electrical field in the mass transport of species (Drug) through soft tissue. The mathematical governing expressions capturing the system are obtaining by applying the method of spatial averaging to the solute species continuity equation. This is accomplished by coupling the bi-dimensional electrical field and mass transport equations. In addition, explicit analytical expressions are derived for the effective parameters, i.e. diffusivity and electro-convective velocity as functions of the applied electric field. Illustrations of how a 2D electrical field can aid in increasing drug delivery with the target system.