Electroporation-Mediated Drug and Gene Delivery
Electroporation refers to the creation of small (1-40 nm) pores in the lipid bilayer of the membrane in response to large electric shocks. Electroporation occurs as an undesirable side effect in accidental contacts with high voltage wires or when defibrillation shocks are applied to the heart to prevent sudden cardiac death. However, electroporation has also important applications in biotechnology, as pores allow the introduction of drugs and DNA into cells. Still, this technique is largely empirical and the results are often variable and difficult to control. Our research in this area concentrates on the development of a model of electroporation that would allow theoretical investigation of the creation of pores during the shock, the flow of ions, drugs, and DNA through pores, and the resulting changes in intracellular concentrations.

Nonlinear Dynamics Approach to Cardiac Arrhythmias
Cardiac arrhythmias, serious and potentially fatal diseases, can only rarely be successfully controlled with medication. The only available treatment is defibrillation, the delivery of a large electric shock. Such shocks often have serious side effects. Our research investigates the feasibility of alternative treatments for cardiac tachyarrhythmias that instead of large shocks use an appropriately timed train of small pulses. The approach is based on the feedback protocols that have been developed to control the dynamics of complex nonlinear systems and involves animal experiments, mathematical modeling, and computer simulations. These studies allow us to gain a better insight into the dynamics of cardiac rhythm and to assess the feasibility of bringing an episode of arrhythmia under control, terminate it, or even inhibit its occurrence.

Contact Info:

Office Location:	1427, Fitzpatrick Center (Fciemas) CIEMAS
Office Phone:	(919) 660-5131
Email Address:
Web Page:	http://aiki.bme.duke.edu/wanda/ personal web page

Education:

Ph.D., Duke University, 1987

M.S., Warsaw University of Technology (Poland), 1978

Research Interests:

Research Interests: Electroporation-mediated drug delivery and gene therapy; Control of cardiac arrhythmias using nonlinear dynamics

Specialties:

Drug Delivery
Heart, Electrophysiology

Awards, Honors, and Distinctions

Klein Family Distinguished Teaching Award, Pratt School of Engineering
Bass Society Fellow, Duke University
Springer Visiting Professor in Mechanical Engineering, University of California at Berkeley
Klein Family Distinguished Teaching Award, Pratt School of Engineering

Recent Publications   (More Publications)

1. Neu, WK, Analytical solution for time-dependent potentials in a fiber stimulated by an external electrode, Med Biol Eng Comput, vol. 54 no. 11 (November, 2016), pp. 1719-1725, Springer Verlag (Germany) [doi]  [abs].
2. Neu, WK, Uncertainty in 1D and 3D models of a fiber stimulated byan external electrode, vol. 9656 (January, 2016), pp. 219-229, Springer International Publishing [doi]  [abs].
3. Neu, WK; Neu, JC, Modeling electroporation with moment dynamics equations (December, 2015) .
4. Neu, WK, Analytical solution for time-dependent potentials in a cylindrical fiber (December, 2015) .
5. Idriss, SF; Krassowska Neu, W; Varadarajan, V; Antonijevic, T; Gilani, SS; Starobin, JM, Feasibility of non-invasive determination of the stability of propagation reserve in patients, Computing in Cardiology, vol. 39 (December, 2012), pp. 353-356  [abs].