Zaid Salameh
BME PhD Defense Presentation

Date: 2026-03-10
Time: 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Location / Meeting Link: UA Whitaker 2110 / https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/23267792938091?p=nAnpoit7Z3eB9hvtCY

Committee Members:
Rafael Davalos, PhD (Chair); Iain McKillop, PhD Mark Prausnitz, PhD; Stanislav Emelianov, PhD; Brooks Lindsey, PhD;


Title: Modulating Electrochemical Reactions to Enhance Electroporation-Based Therapies

Abstract:
Liver cancer is the 4th most deadly cancer with 700,000+ deaths, per year, globally. Up to 80% of patients are ineligible for surgical resection due to underlying disease pathology, advanced tumor stage, and location. Thermal ablation technologies can effectively treat early-to-intermediate stage liver tumors but cannot entirely address the gap in patient care presented by disease location and compromised hepatic function. Thus, there is a need to develop novel technologies to address the global health burden of liver cancer. Pulsed field ablation (PFA) uses electrical pulses delivered through in situ electrodes to induce a transmembrane potential across targeted cells resulting in pore formation, unregulated mass transport, and eventual cell death through irreversible electroporation (IRE). Because acellular architecture is relatively unaffected by the electrical field, PFA is not contraindicated by tumor location (distinct from surgical resection and thermal ablation). Electrical pulses generate pH fronts and induce bubble nucleation through hydrolysis and the production of gaseous species at the tissue/electrode interface. Since the tumor microenvironment skews the acidity and electrical conductivity, we postulate that IRE-driven electrochemical effects could be modulated to address these oncogenic factors. The central hypothesis of this dissertation is that electroporation influences on the electrochemical microenvironment of hepatic tissue can be leveraged to improve oncological treatment outcomes. Here, we use in vitro, in vivo, and in silico models to evaluate the electrochemical effects of PFA, focusing on the effect of the electrical waveform. This research provides insight on ionic species production during PFA, providing the framework for translational clinical utility.