Bio Break: Understanding Shear Stress
Nick Allan and Joris van der Heijden dive into a critical concept in drug delivery and biopharmaceutical development: shear stress. Understanding shear stress, especially when dealing with delicate therapies like cell and gene treatments or mRNA vaccines, can have profound effects on drug viability and efficacy. Nick walks us through how shear stress is identified, measured, and mitigated during product design and development.
Starting with computational fluid dynamics (CFD), Nick explains how engineers use advanced simulations to predict problematic areas in fluid flow paths. These visual models highlight zones where shear stress is likely to occur, helping developers design around potential risks. However, Nick emphasizes the importance of understanding shear stress by validating simulations with real-world data, noting the adage, “garbage in, garbage out.”
The conversation then transitions to experimental testing, where Nick shares practical methods for quantifying the effects of shear stress on biological systems. For stem cell therapies, simple viability assays using microscopes or green fluorescent protein markers offer insight into cell health after exposure to shear. Similarly, mRNA vaccines housed in lipid nanoparticles are tested for structural integrity under shear conditions. Techniques like Zeta potential analysis and transfection assays help researchers determine whether shear has compromised the lipid nanoparticle or the mRNA payload, aiding in the understanding of shear’s impact.
Nick and Joris also discuss how shear stress impacts both functionality and structural integrity, particularly when delivering therapies through methods like cannulas, needles, or nebulizers. Testing and simulation, they conclude, must work hand in hand to ensure therapies remain effective and viable during real-world use, reinforcing the importance of understanding shear stress.
This Bio Break episode is a must-watch for anyone working in drug delivery, biopharma, or medical device engineering. Gain insights into the tools and strategies for identifying, measuring, and addressing shear stress in sensitive therapies.
Understanding Shear Stress
Related Resources
In this episode of Bio Break, Nick and Joris dive into one of the most astonishing—and real—medical innovations we’ve ever come across: osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis. Or, as Nick quickly dubs it, “tooth in eye surgery.”
In this episode of Bio Break, Nick Allan and Joris van der Heijden explore a critical but often overlooked topic in healthcare innovation: prevention. While most conversations about medical devices revolve around treatment, the duo shifts the focus to technologies that help people avoid hospitalization altogether. Preventive medical devices and diagnostic tools are quietly transforming healthcare by catching diseases earlier and reducing the need for invasive procedures.
In this episode of Bio Break, Nick shares one of his favorite discoveries in the world of infectious disease research — the groundbreaking discovery of Helicobacter pylori and its role in causing peptic ulcers. This fascinating story showcases how persistence, scientific curiosity, and innovative thinking can lead to discoveries that reshape medical science.
Nick and Joris tackle a question many tech and health enthusiasts have wondered for years: Where is my cortisol-sensing smartwatch? Nick shares a nostalgic story of reading about futuristic wearable technology in Popular Mechanics as a child — devices that would one day monitor biomarkers like cortisol to track stress and overall health. Now, decades later, he and Joris break down why such a wearable device still hasn’t become a reality.