2 research outputs found
Focus on plasma medicine
‘Plasma Healthcare’ is an emerging interdisciplinary research topic
of rapidly growing importance, exploring considerable opportunities at the
interface of plasma physics, chemistry and engineering with life sciences. Some
of the scientific discoveries reported so far have already demonstrated clear
benefits for healthcare in areas of medicine, food safety, environmental hygiene,
and cosmetics. Examples include ongoing studies of prion inactivation, chronic
wound treatment and plasma-mediated cancer therapy. Current research ranges
from basic physical processes, plasma chemical design, to the interaction of
plasmas with (i) eukaryotic (mammalian) cells; (ii) prokaryotic (bacteria) cells,
viruses, spores and fungi; (iii) DNA, lipids, proteins and cell membranes; and
(iv) living human, animal and plant tissues in the presence of biofluids. Of
diverse interests in this new field is the need for hospital disinfection, in particular
with respect to the alarming increase in bacterial resistance to antibiotics, the
concomitant needs in private practices, nursing homes etc, the applications in
personal hygiene—and the enticing possibility to ‘design’ plasmas as possible
pharmaceutical products, employing ionic as well as molecular agents for
medical treatment. The ‘delivery’ of the reactive plasma agents occurs at the
gaseous level, which means that there is no need for a carrier medium and access
to the treatment surface is optimal. This focus issue provides a close look at the
current state of the art in Plasma Medicine with a number of forefront research
articles as well as an introductory review
Plasma medicine: an introductory review
This introductory review on plasma health care is intended to
provide the interested reader with a summary of the current status of this
emerging field, its scope, and its broad interdisciplinary approach, ranging
from plasma physics, chemistry and technology, to microbiology, biochemistry,
biophysics, medicine and hygiene. Apart from the basic plasma processes
and the restrictions and requirements set by international health standards,
the review focuses on plasma interaction with prokaryotic cells (bacteria),
eukaryotic cells (mammalian cells), cell membranes, DNA etc. In so doing, some
of the unfamiliar terminology—an unavoidable by-product of interdisciplinary
research—is covered and explained. Plasma health care may provide a fast and
efficient new path for effective hospital (and other public buildings) hygiene—
helping to prevent and contain diseases that are continuously gaining ground
as resistance of pathogens to antibiotics grows. The delivery of medically
active ‘substances’ at the molecular or ionic level is another exciting topic
of research through effects on cell walls (permeabilization), cell excitation
(paracrine action) and the introduction of reactive species into cell cytoplasm.
Electric fields, charging of surfaces, current flows etc can also affect tissue in
a controlled way. The field is young and hopes are high. It is fitting to cover
the beginnings in New Journal of Physics, since it is the physics (and nonequilibrium
chemistry) of room temperature atmospheric pressure plasmas that
have made this development of plasma health care possible