Education

Ph.D. University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2008

B.S. Worcester Polytechnic Insitute, 2004

Postdoctoral training, University of California, San Francisco

Funded GRA positions available

The Biomedical Computing and Devices Lab at Kansas State University seeks motivated gradaute students (M.S. and Ph.D.) to work on research projects in the field of therapeutic medical devices. Funded Graduate Research Assistant positions with competitive monthly stipends and full tuition waivers will be offered to successful candidates. I am particularly interested in working with students who have a background in numerical methods/scientific computing, electromagnetics, heat transfer, and/or medical instrumentation and imaging. Students with practical software and/or hardware development skills are strongly encouraged to apply. A summary of my areas of research interests is included below. Please email a copy of your resume/CV and brief description of your background, interests, and goals to prakashp@k-state.edu .  

Research Summary

We are interested in developing devices and systems capable of controlled energy delivery for targeted thermal therapy of cancer and benign disease. Energy sources of interest include RF currents, microwaves, and ultrasound. Intense heat may be used to ablate (i.e. destroy) tissue e.g. for minimally invasive treatment of tumors or cardiac arrhythmias. Moderate heat may be used to trigger drug release from nanoparticles or to augment radio/chemotherapy. Some examples of research areas include:

Device development and evaluation We design and build systems (energy sources, applicators consisting of transducers/electrodes and sensors, feedback control algorithms) for targeted energy delivery to the body. Our goal is to design devices capable of adequately heating targetted tissue with minimal damage to surrounding healthy tissue. We fabricate prototypes and evaluate them on the electrical lab bench and in appropriate tissue models.

Computer modeling. We develop computer models of energy propagation through tissue and bioheat transfer to design devices and control algorithms for specific applications. We perform experiments to validate computer models and measure physical properties of tissue.

Optimizing treatment delivery on patient-specific anatomies. Treatment plans employ computer models and optimization techniques to determine suitable device insertion paths and positions, optimal energy levels, and heating patterns. We are interested in techniques for rapid computation and 3D visualization of treatment plans to aid physicians in customizing therapy of patient-specific anatomies.

Thermally triggered targeted drug delivery. We are interested in designing methods and systems for targeted heating with nanoparticles, which preferentially migrate into tumors and may be used to deliver therapeutic drugs via a thermal trigger. 

We are also interested in applying these techniques to the design of other therapeutic medical devices.

Selected Publications

P. Prakash, V. A. Salgaonkar, E. C. Burdette, C. J. Diederich, "Multiple applicator hepatic ablation with interstitial ultrasound devices: theoretical and experimental investigation," Medical Physics, 39(12), 2012.

P. Prakash, C. J. Diederich, "Considerations for theoretical modelling of thermal ablation with catheter-based ultrasonic sources: implications for treatment planning, monitoring, and control," International Journal of Hyperthermia, 28(1), 2012.

P. Prakash, M. C. Converse, J. G. Webster, D. M. Mahvi, "An optimal sliding choke antenna for hepatic microwave ablation," IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 56(10), 2009.

P. Prakash, G. Deng, M. C. Converse, J. G. Webster, D. M. Mahvi, M. C. Ferris, "Design optimization of a robust sleeve antenna for hepatic microwave ablation," Physics in Medicine and Biology, 53(4), 2008.

P. Prakash, C. A. Salini, J. A. Tranquilli, D. R. Brown, E. A. Clancy, "Adaptive whitening in electromyogram amplitude estimation for epoch-based applications," IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 52(2), 2005.

Service

Member, IEEE EMBS Technical Committee on Therapeutic Systems and Technologies, 2008 - present

Associate Editor, IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Conference, 2009 - present

Peer reviewer: IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, Physics in Medicine and Biology, Medical Physics, International Journal of Hyperthermia, Medical and Biomedical Engineering and Computing, The Open Biomedical Engineering Journal.