Several biological structures present major barriers to drug delivery, including solid tumours, the outer layer of the skin (stratum corneum), the dense fibrin mesh that makes up blood clots, and the blood brain barrier that prevents transport of virus and therapeutics into the central nervous system. In most cases, diffusion alone driven by concentration gradients is unable to deliver adequate concentrations of the therapeutic across the biological barrier.

Our research exploits external energy forms such as ultrasound, magnetic fields and shock waves to stimulate convective mass transport of drugs through biological barriers. Of particular interest is an ultrasound-induced phenomenon known as acoustic cavitation, which enables very small bubbles within the body to impart momentum onto their surroundings, mediating the transport of drugs over hundreds of microns into otherwise impenetrable biological targets such as tumours or skin.