Design of a Microfluidic Microchannel for Targeted Chemotherapy Drug Delivery

Abstract

Drug delivery has been significantly advanced through the development of microfluidic technologies, which enable precise manipulation of fluid inflow at the microscale. These systems grease the localized administration of chemotherapeutic agents, thereby reducing systemic toxin in cancer treatment. In this study, a crispy microchannel was designed and anatomized for the controlled distribution of doxorubicin reprised in liposomal carriers. Numerical simulations were performed using COMSOL Multiphysics to estimate key inflow parameters such as velocity distribution, shear stress, and flyspeck circles. The crispy channel figure bettered mixing uniformity and assured smooth inflow while maintaining shear stress within safe physiological limits(0.5 Pa). The optimized design demonstrates implicit for enhanced remedial effectiveness, minimized flyspeck aggregation, and better localized medicine delivery in microfluidic- grounded chemotherapy systems.

Introduction

Cancer treatment via chemotherapy is limited by poor targeting and systemic toxicity. Advanced drug delivery systems, particularly microfluidic platforms, offer precise control over fluid flow, mixing, and concentration gradients, enabling localized and sustained drug release. Among microchannel geometries, serpentine (wavy) microchannels are advantageous due to their extended path length, enhanced mixing, and uniform flow distribution, which are critical for predictable and controlled drug transport. These channels can also integrate pH-responsive or nanoparticle-based carriers for targeted release within tumor microenvironments.

Materials and Design

• Material: PDMS (Polydimethylsiloxane) chosen for biocompatibility, flexibility, chemical stability, and ease of fabrication.

• Geometry: Wavy microchannel (length: 4.8 mm, width & height: 0.5 mm, 3 waves) designed using COMSOL Multiphysics to promote gentle mixing, uniform velocity, and extended residence time for drugs.

• Flow Modeling: Water used as a surrogate fluid; laminar flow assumed with fixed inlet pressure, atmospheric outlet, and no-slip walls.

Simulation and Analysis

• Velocity & Pressure: Wavy design induces smooth, stable velocity profiles with slight pressure drops, enhancing controlled transport and mixing.

• Flow Parameters: Reynolds numbers indicate laminar flow; Dean number accounts for curvature effects on flow. Friction factor and Darcy–Weisbach equation used to estimate pressure drop (~900 Pa).

• Drug Diffusion: Concentration profiles show gradual decay along the channel, confirming stable and predictable drug transport.

Validation

• Simulation results validated against theoretical laminar flow predictions.

• The wavy microchannel demonstrated stable flow, low pressure drop, and uniform concentration distribution, confirming suitability for controlled, localized chemotherapy drug delivery.

Key Findings

• Serpentine microchannels improve residence time, mixing, and diffusion uniformity.

• Flow is laminar, continuous, and well-distributed, ensuring precise delivery.

• The design supports localized, safe, and effective anticancer drug administration.

Conclusion

The simulation results using COMSOL Multiphysics reveal the effectiveness of the PDMS-based wavy microchannel design for targeted cancer therapy related to drug delivery. The velocity and pressure analyses indicate that the flow rate in the channel is laminar and reliable, which ensures confirmed drug delivery. An increased velocity in the center of the channel flow path and decreased velocities near the wall region serve to enhance the overall time that the drugs remain in the channel, which can improve drug diffusion and interaction with cancer cells. The pressure profile indicated a gradual decrease down the length of the channel confirming smooth flow behavior and minimal pressure loss during fluid flow. The concentration distribution results indicate that the wavy shape allows for a more uniform probability of mixing and prolonging drug delivery while decreasing sudden spikes of toxicity to surrounding healthy tissue and are not desirable in targeting therapy interventions. The wavy shape improved diffusion and allows for contribution to the controlled time dependent localized drug delivery. Overall the simulation results validate the use a PDMS, serpentine microchannel is reliable, biocompatible, stable, and provides a viable microfluidic platform to conduct cancer therapy interventions with efficient drug delivery, which opens up a new opportunity for continued and future experimentation.

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2025 S Praveen Kumar, S Ramya, B Jayashree , V Soundariya. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.