Numerical Modelling of Physical Phenomena in Engineering, Biology and Medicine

This course covers numerical methods for modelling the physical phenomena involved in electroporation and their application in treatment planning.

• Physical background: electric field distribution in tissue, dielectric properties, conductivity and its change during electroporation.
• Numerical methods: finite element method (FEM), finite difference method (FDM), meshing, boundary conditions, nonlinear models.
• Electroporation modelling: electric field distribution, thermal modelling (Joule heating, Pennes equation), mass transport (electrophoresis, diffusion).
• Treatment planning: electrode placement optimisation, pulse parameter selection, tumour coverage analysis.
• Clinical applications: treatment planning for electrochemotherapy (ECT), irreversible electroporation (IRE), and gene electrotransfer (GET).
• Practical exercises: hands-on use of simulation tools (COMSOL, Python, MATLAB) for modelling real-world cases.

To master numerical methods for modelling electroporation phenomena and to apply them to the planning of therapeutic procedures.

After successful completion, students will be able to:

• build a numerical model of electric field distribution in tissue
• account for the nonlinear change of conductivity during electroporation
• perform thermal analysis and assess the risk of thermal damage
• optimise electrode placement and pulse parameters for a given clinical application
• use simulation software to solve real-world problems