Computational simulation study of flow dynamics in plga microsphere generation using lab-on-a-chip for prostatic embolisation
Juan Carlos Gómez Blanco, Luisa F. Sánchez‐Peralta, D Patrocinio Caballero, Fei Sun, V Lucas Cava, J B Pagador Carrasco, Francisco Miguel Sanchez-Margallo · British journal of surgery · 2025
Abstract Introduction Transarterial chemoembolisation is a therapeutic approach for vascularised tumours, such as prostate tumours, involving the administration of drug-eluting microspheres. Its efficacy arises from the combined effects of anti-tumour drugs and blood flow occlusion. Microspheres are now commonly generated using lab-on-a-chip systems. This study presents a computational simulation model to evaluate the input flow conditions required to produce PLGA microspheres of specific sizes. Methods The simulations were conducted using COMSOL Multiphysics 5.5, with rheological data for PLGA and the continuous phase derived from prior studies. The chip design was based on standard commercial double-T models, featuring 300 µm inlet and 500 µm outlet channels. Eight simulations were performed, varying the input velocity ratio (Rv = Vc/Vd) while maintaining a constant Vd of 8 mm/s. The evaluated ratios included: 1.500, 1.750, 1.875, 2.000, 2.125, 2.250, 2.375, and 2.500. Results The findings indicate that no microspheres are generated at Rv values below 1.875 or above 2.375. For intermediate ratios, microsphere sizes ranged from 240 to 275 µm, with droplet generation rates of 32 to 37 spheres per second for Rv values between 1.750 and 2.250, respectively. Conclusion This computational simulation system provides a rapid method for evaluating flow conditions. For the proposed chip geometry, it is possible to generate an average of 35 microspheres per second with a diameter of 250 µm in PLGA.