Mario de Lucio's website

I am a Research Scientist in the Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering at Purdue University working with Prof. Pavlos Vlachos and Prof. Hector Gomez.

I develop high-fidelity computational models to solve real-world problems in civil, mechanical, and biomedical engineering. My research interests include computational mechanics, poromechanics, soft tissue biomechanics, and transport phenomena.

In my PhD thesis, I focused on the transport and mechanical processes behind subcutaneous injection for self-administration of biotherapeutics, particularly monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). My research developed a high-fidelity computational framework to study large-volume subcutaneous injection of mAbs, combining large-deformation mechanics with drug transport and absorption. My simulations provided essential insights into improving subcutaneous drug administration and developing patient-centered injection devices and techniques.

news

Jul 10, 2024	Our paper on modeling drug transport and absorption in subcutaneous injection of monoclonal antibodies just got published in the International Journal of Pharmaceutics
Apr 03, 2024	Mario succesfully defended his PhD thesis
Nov 10, 2023	Mario is awarded the Ben M. Hillberry Graduate Scholarship
Jul 22, 2023	Mario de Lucio is selected as a 2023 Trailblazers in Engineering Fellow by Purdue College of Engineering.
Jul 03, 2023	Mario de Lucio wins the Runner-up award in the Poromechanics student competition at the Engineering Mechanics Institute Conference in Atlanta, GA.

Selected publications

Modeling drug transport and absorption in subcutaneous injection of monoclonal antibodies: Impact of tissue deformation, devices, and physiology

Mario de Lucio, Yu Leng, Hao Wang, Pavlos P. Vlachos, and 1 more author

International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 2024

Abs Bib

The pharmaceutical industry has experienced a remarkable increase in the use of subcutaneous injection of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), attributed mainly to its advantages in reducing healthcare-related costs and enhancing patient compliance. Despite this growth, there is a limited understanding of how tissue mechanics, physiological parameters, and different injection devices and techniques influence the transport and absorption of the drug. In this work, we propose a high-fidelity computational model to study drug transport and absorption during and after subcutaneous injection of mAbs. Our numerical model includes large-deformation mechanics, fluid flow, drug transport, and blood and lymphatic uptake. Through this computational framework, we analyze the tissue material responses, plume dynamics, and drug absorption. We analyze different devices, injection techniques, and physiological parameters such as BMI, flow rate, and injection depth. Finally, we compare our numerical results against the experimental data from the literature.
@article{deLucio5, title = {Modeling drug transport and absorption in subcutaneous injection of monoclonal antibodies: Impact of tissue deformation, devices, and physiology}, journal = {International Journal of Pharmaceutics}, pages = {124446}, year = {2024}, issn = {0378-5173}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2024.124446}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037851732400680X}, author = {{de Lucio}, Mario and Leng, Yu and Wang, Hao and Vlachos, Pavlos P. and Gomez, Hector}, keywords = {Subcutaneous injection, Poroelasticity, Auto-injector, Drug transport, Lymphatic uptake} }