Numerical Modeling of In Vivo Plate Electroporation Thermal Dose Assessment

Electroporation is an approach used to enhance the transport of large molecules to the cell cytosol in which a targeted tissue region is exposed to a series of electric pulses. The cell membrane, which normally acts as a barrier to large molecule transport into the cell interior, is temporarily destabilized due to the development of pores in the cell membrane. Consequently, agents that are ordinarily unable enter the cell are able to pass through the cell membrane. Of possible concern when exposing biological tissue to an electric field is thermal tissue damage associated with joule heating. This paper explores the thermal effects of various geometric, biological, and electroporation pulse parameters including the blood vessel presence and size, plate electrode configuration, and pulse duration and frequency. A three-dimensional transient finite volume model of in vivo parallel plate electroporation of liver tissue is used to develop a better understanding of the underlying relationships between the physical parameters involved with tissue electroporation and resulting thermal damage potential.