Dr Kho is a postdoctoral researcher based in UCD. His current research focuses on optimising the development and manufacture of subcutaneous drug delivery devices. Dr Kho obtained his M.Eng in Mechanical Engineering from University of Nottingham, Malaysia in 2017. With strong interest in applying his knowledge as a Mechanical Engineer in the field of biomedical devices, Dr Kho undertook his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at Monash University, Malaysia and completed it in 202. His doctorate focused on optimising the treatment of tumours using radiofrequency ablation enhanced with saline infusion. His main research interests include thermal ablation techniques, drug infusion into biological tissues, soft tissue biomechanics and medical devices optimisation.
Research Interests (Lay Summary)
Within I-Form, Dr. Kho’s research focuses on optimising the design, development and manufacture of subcutaneous drug delivery devices. Subcutaneous drug delivery is the administration of drugs into the fatty layer (subcutaneous tissue) under the skin. One of its main advantages is that it can be self-administered by patients, which offers the benefits of reducing the costs for both the healthcare sector and the patients. Subcutaneous administration is typically used for long-term treatments as it allows drug to be absorbed slowly over a period of time. Nevertheless, it remains difficult to accurately predict the absorption of drugs in the subcutaneous tissue. This is due to not only the structure of the subcutaneous tissue that involves complex interaction with the vasculature and the lymphatics, but also tissue deformation during needle insertion that affects the spatial drug dispersion.
Technical Summary
The aim of Dr Kho’s research project is to develop a biofidelic experimental and numerical model of the skin for subcutaneous drug delivery device optimisation. The development of models that simulate the skin behaviour can provide insights that are difficult to capture inside in vivo and ex vivo models. The models developed will not only reproduce the failure of the skin during the insertion phase and its deformation, but also the interaction between the resulting deposition and the tissue. Due to the difference in mechanical properties of the skin between anatomical body locations, different versions of the model that represent common injection sites will also be developed. As a result, the outcome of the research project will aid in improving the performance of subcutaneous drug delivery devices and ultimately, the quality of life of the patients.
Expertise
Computational Mechanics, Materials Structure-Property Analysis, Predictive Modeling, Process Modeling, Process Optimisation