The role of porous media in biomedical engineering as related to magnetic resonance imaging and drug delivery

Abstract

Pertinent works associated with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and drug delivery are reviewed in this work to demonstrate the role of transport theory in porous media in advancing the progress in biomedical applications. Diffusion process is considered significant in many therapies such as delivering drugs to the brain. Progress in development of the diffusion equation using local volume-averaging technique and evaluation of the applications associated with the diffusion equation are analyzed. Tortuosity and porosity have a significant effect on the diffusion transport. Different relevant models of tortuosity are presented and mathematical modeling of drug release from biodegradable delivery systems are analyzed in this investigation. New models for the kinetics of drug release from porous biodegradable polymeric microspheres under bulk erosion and surface erosion of the polymer matrix are presented in this study. Diffusion of the dissolved drug, dissolution of the drug from the solid phase, and erosion of the polymer matrix are found to play a central role in controlling the overall drug release process. This study paves the road for the researchers in the area of MRI and drug delivery to develop comprehensive models based on porous media theory utilizing fewer assumptions as compared to other approaches.