FURI | Fall 2025

Modeling and Experimental Validation of Drug Diffusion Through PDMS-based Transdermal Patches

Transdermal drug delivery provides a controlled and non-invasive route for therapeutic administration, but its effectiveness depends on understanding how drugs diffuse across the skin barrier. This project aims to model and experimentally validate drug diffusion through polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membranes engineered to mimic the diffusivity of human skin. By devising new PDMS formulations with varying base-to-curing agent ratios and silicone oil concentrations, membranes with distinct diffusion coefficients are produced. Computational modeling using Fick’s laws will estimate theoretical diffusion behavior, while experimental testing with a Franz diffusion setup will measure actual permeation rates. The comparison between modeled and measured data will validate the predictive framework and identify the PDMS formulations that best replicate skin-like diffusion. This research will provide valuable design insights for future transdermal drug delivery systems and skin-analog testing platforms.