Ignasi publishes his work in PNAS!

We’re happy to share a new paper coming out of the PhD work of Ignasi Simon (co-supervised by Dr. Alina Rwei, Chemical Engineering department)

In PNAS, Ignasi and co-authors present a mechanistic framework for understanding how ultrasound parameters govern cargo release from ultrasound-responsive liposomes. By combining custom-built ultrasound transducers, controlled release experiments, finite-element modelling, and coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations, we show that release is primarily driven by mechanical effects—especially oscillatory acoustic pressure—rather than heating. The results indicate that release occurs only above a critical pressure threshold that induces transient pore formation in the liposomal membrane, and that the efficiency of release depends on how long the acoustic waveform remains above this threshold. Overall, the study provides practical design rules for selecting ultrasound frequency, pressure, duty cycle, and pulse repetition frequency, helping guide the safer and more effective clinical translation of ultrasound-triggered drug delivery.

Big congratulations to Ignasi and all co-authors!