Bubbles and Jets against Skin
We are developing a new method of generating high velocity micro droplets of relevance to the future of needle free drug delivery. An understanding of how these very fast-moving droplets interact with skin is a prerequisite to inject drugs to different desired skin depths, particularly the more superficial layers (intradermal). We have done in vitro studies with skin surrogates, e.g., stationary liquids of different viscosities, hydrogels, and ex vivo porcine skin as an essential first step to modelling their interaction with the wide range of different tissue types. I will share our latest results and potential new avenues of our research.
Biography
David Fernandez Rivas (BS: 2004; MSc: 2006 Nuclear Engineering, Higher Institute of Science and Technology, Havana, Cuba) obtained his PhD at the University of Twente (2012). Assistant professor (2014-2019), associate professor (2020-2021) and Professor (2021) in the Mesoscale Chemical Systems Group; and research affiliate at the Mechanical Engineering Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA (2017). His research interest and expertise are in the areas of microfluidics, transdermal drug delivery alternatives, solar-to-fuel cells, process intensification, acoustic cavitation and sonochemistry. In 2019, he obtained the European Research Council Starting Grant for his project BuBble Gun, aimed at penetrating microjets in soft substrates, towards controlled needle-free injections. He has received several recognitions, such as the Pieter Langerhuizen Lambertuszoon Fonds prize (2016) awarded by the Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities (KHMW), and elected as Engineer.
