Periodic Reporting for period 1 - PlaTechMedi (A step towards new Plasma processing Technology for Medical purposes)
Reporting period: 2022-10-03 to 2024-10-02
Our project focuses on the use of cold plasma technology for the treatment of polymers used in medicine, and to improve their disinfection. Typically, depending on the conditions, cold plasma treatments can either enhance the biocompatibility of materials or make them bio-incompatible (such as creating antibacterial surfaces), both of which have broad applications in medicine.
Owing to the ionization, excitation, dissociation, and further chemical reactions occurring in cold plasmas at relatively low gas temperatures, plasma can efficiently kill bacteria, yeasts, molds, and other hazardous microbes, even spores and biofilms that are generally very difficult to inactivate. This makes cold plasma exceptionally suitable for bio-decontamination: disinfection and sterilization of surfaces, medical instruments, water, air, food, and even living tissues.
One of the key components of this project is plasma-activated water (PAW), a type of water treated with plasma that contains reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS). PAW has demonstrated potential benefits for cleaning and disinfection, thanks to its biocidal properties. Reactive species produced when plasma interacts with air, are particularly effective in this regard.
Compared to traditional sterilization methods, such as heat treatment or UV irradiation, cold plasma offers faster and more efficient disinfection without damaging heat-sensitive materials like catheters and endoscopes. These materials, especially flexible polymer tubes, are vital in medical devices.
Despite the rapid development of cold plasma applications, many aspects of processes are far from being completely understood, particularly the physical and chemical interaction of plasmas with solids and liquids simultaneously. To optimize these plasma processes, it's crucial to study the behavior of reactive species and understand how these species interact with materials. By doing so, we can tailor plasma processes to specific applications and further explore plasma-induced reactivity.
The unique plasma discharge developed by our team needs further detailed studies for plasma medicine and plasma material processing applications. It is a new type of Surface Dielectric Barrier Discharge (SDBD) generating gas plasma at the interface with conductive liquids serving as electrodes. This discharge system can be used to treat hollow objects like polymer tubes commonly used in medical devices. This plasma discharge requires further research to explore its full potential in plasma medicine and material processing.
The essential aims of this project are to investigate how cold plasma interacts with water and aqueous solutions to create plasma-activated water. We will also study a new method of cold plasma treatment for medical disinfection, focusing on both direct plasma treatment and indirect use of PAW for sterilization.
Medical device-related infections significantly contribute to increased mortality rates, extended hospital stays, and higher healthcare costs. Our goal is to improve disinfection techniques, particularly for medical tools and devices like catheters or endoscopes.
Project Goals and Pathway to Impact
Using plasma-activated water, medical tools stored in or rinsed with this solution will remain sterile for longer, reducing the risk of infection. PAW can also be used to clean catheters or the surrounding area of a wound without needing to frequently remove the device from the patient's body.
Our innovative plasma discharge system addresses the challenge of effectively treating surfaces inside narrow hollow objects like catheters, increasing disinfection efficiency. It will not only clean these surfaces but also improve their adhesion for potential antimicrobial coatings.
Ultimately, our research aims to enhance medical treatment quality, reduce healthcare costs, reduce infection rates, and decrease the financial burden on healthcare systems.
Owing to the ionization, excitation, dissociation, and further chemical reactions occurring in cold plasmas at relatively low gas temperatures, plasma can efficiently kill bacteria, yeasts, molds, and other hazardous microbes, even spores and biofilms that are generally very difficult to inactivate. This makes cold plasma exceptionally suitable for bio-decontamination: disinfection and sterilization of surfaces, medical instruments, water, air, food, and even living tissues.
One of the key components of this project is plasma-activated water (PAW), a type of water treated with plasma that contains reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS). PAW has demonstrated potential benefits for cleaning and disinfection, thanks to its biocidal properties. Reactive species produced when plasma interacts with air, are particularly effective in this regard.
Compared to traditional sterilization methods, such as heat treatment or UV irradiation, cold plasma offers faster and more efficient disinfection without damaging heat-sensitive materials like catheters and endoscopes. These materials, especially flexible polymer tubes, are vital in medical devices.
Despite the rapid development of cold plasma applications, many aspects of processes are far from being completely understood, particularly the physical and chemical interaction of plasmas with solids and liquids simultaneously. To optimize these plasma processes, it's crucial to study the behavior of reactive species and understand how these species interact with materials. By doing so, we can tailor plasma processes to specific applications and further explore plasma-induced reactivity.
The unique plasma discharge developed by our team needs further detailed studies for plasma medicine and plasma material processing applications. It is a new type of Surface Dielectric Barrier Discharge (SDBD) generating gas plasma at the interface with conductive liquids serving as electrodes. This discharge system can be used to treat hollow objects like polymer tubes commonly used in medical devices. This plasma discharge requires further research to explore its full potential in plasma medicine and material processing.
The essential aims of this project are to investigate how cold plasma interacts with water and aqueous solutions to create plasma-activated water. We will also study a new method of cold plasma treatment for medical disinfection, focusing on both direct plasma treatment and indirect use of PAW for sterilization.
Medical device-related infections significantly contribute to increased mortality rates, extended hospital stays, and higher healthcare costs. Our goal is to improve disinfection techniques, particularly for medical tools and devices like catheters or endoscopes.
Project Goals and Pathway to Impact
Using plasma-activated water, medical tools stored in or rinsed with this solution will remain sterile for longer, reducing the risk of infection. PAW can also be used to clean catheters or the surrounding area of a wound without needing to frequently remove the device from the patient's body.
Our innovative plasma discharge system addresses the challenge of effectively treating surfaces inside narrow hollow objects like catheters, increasing disinfection efficiency. It will not only clean these surfaces but also improve their adhesion for potential antimicrobial coatings.
Ultimately, our research aims to enhance medical treatment quality, reduce healthcare costs, reduce infection rates, and decrease the financial burden on healthcare systems.
Technical and Scientific Activities
• Plasma discharge diagnostics: We performed diagnostics on plasma discharge across several reactor configurations.
• Measurement of gaseous species produced by plasma: Detailed measurements were conducted on the reactive species generated by plasma in several reactor setups.
• Analysis of plasma-activated liquids: We analyzed the concentration of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) in plasma-treated liquids, focusing on how their concentrations varied with input power and treatment duration. This helped us understand the chemical changes induced by plasma and their potential effects on biological systems.
• Effect of plasma treatment on polymer surfaces: The effects of plasma treatment on the surface properties of several highly used polymers were investigated. We measured changes in hydrophilicity, surface roughness, and chemical composition, allowing us to assess how plasma modifies these materials for enhanced functionality.
• Testing antimicrobial effects: We studied the antimicrobial properties of plasma treatment using two approaches:
a) Indirect effects (via PAW): We tested the antimicrobial efficiency of PAW on bacteria, studying how plasma-treated liquids impact microbial activity.
b) Direct effect: We evaluated the direct antimicrobial action of plasma on bacteria and bacterial mutants, aiming to identify its efficiency in different conditions.
Additionally, we explored the correlation between experimental parameters and the antimicrobial performance of both plasma and PAW. We also conducted experiments to evaluate how plasma treatment affects bacterial colonization on previously treated materials.
Main Achievements
• Optimizing plasma properties for polymer hydrophilization: We successfully demonstrated that plasma treatment, using our special discharge configuration, significantly enhances the hydrophilization of polymer surfaces. After treatment in the air, the selected polymers showed a slightly improved biocompatibility.
• RONS production: We successfully characterized the production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) in gas phase and plasma-treated liquids, identifying how these species depend on various SDBD plasma parameters and reactor configuration.
• Understanding bacteria response: We gained valuable insights into how bacteria respond to plasma-activated water generated by SDBD, advancing our understanding of the antimicrobial mechanisms involved.
• Plasma surface decontamination efficiency: Our evaluations demonstrated that plasma treatment significantly improves the surface decontamination efficiency of the tested materials. This finding has important implications for sterilization processes in medical and industrial applications.
• Plasma discharge diagnostics: We performed diagnostics on plasma discharge across several reactor configurations.
• Measurement of gaseous species produced by plasma: Detailed measurements were conducted on the reactive species generated by plasma in several reactor setups.
• Analysis of plasma-activated liquids: We analyzed the concentration of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) in plasma-treated liquids, focusing on how their concentrations varied with input power and treatment duration. This helped us understand the chemical changes induced by plasma and their potential effects on biological systems.
• Effect of plasma treatment on polymer surfaces: The effects of plasma treatment on the surface properties of several highly used polymers were investigated. We measured changes in hydrophilicity, surface roughness, and chemical composition, allowing us to assess how plasma modifies these materials for enhanced functionality.
• Testing antimicrobial effects: We studied the antimicrobial properties of plasma treatment using two approaches:
a) Indirect effects (via PAW): We tested the antimicrobial efficiency of PAW on bacteria, studying how plasma-treated liquids impact microbial activity.
b) Direct effect: We evaluated the direct antimicrobial action of plasma on bacteria and bacterial mutants, aiming to identify its efficiency in different conditions.
Additionally, we explored the correlation between experimental parameters and the antimicrobial performance of both plasma and PAW. We also conducted experiments to evaluate how plasma treatment affects bacterial colonization on previously treated materials.
Main Achievements
• Optimizing plasma properties for polymer hydrophilization: We successfully demonstrated that plasma treatment, using our special discharge configuration, significantly enhances the hydrophilization of polymer surfaces. After treatment in the air, the selected polymers showed a slightly improved biocompatibility.
• RONS production: We successfully characterized the production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) in gas phase and plasma-treated liquids, identifying how these species depend on various SDBD plasma parameters and reactor configuration.
• Understanding bacteria response: We gained valuable insights into how bacteria respond to plasma-activated water generated by SDBD, advancing our understanding of the antimicrobial mechanisms involved.
• Plasma surface decontamination efficiency: Our evaluations demonstrated that plasma treatment significantly improves the surface decontamination efficiency of the tested materials. This finding has important implications for sterilization processes in medical and industrial applications.
The work conducted in this project has led to several key findings that hold significant potential for further research and development.
One of the key outcomes was demonstrating that direct plasma treatment is highly effective in completely destroying bacterial biofilms. However, the initial studies were limited to biofilms created by a single species. Future research will focus on more complex biofilms formed by multiple species, which will be more challenging.
Additionally, while plasma treatment shows promise as a sterilization method, more work is required to ensure its safety and compatibility in medical applications. The experiments so far used non-medical-grade polymers, so future research will involve treating medical-grade materials to confirm their suitability in healthcare settings. A comparison with current hospital disinfection methods is also needed, and this will be a priority for future work to better understand how plasma treatment compares in terms of safety and effectiveness.
Preliminary results indicate that plasma treatment could be a safe and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional sterilization techniques. Demonstrating this technology in real-world healthcare environments with the support of industrial partners will be key to proving its viability.
For the successful uptake and further development of plasma technology, continued research is required to explore the potential of plasma treatment on real, multi-species biofilms, and its effects on medical-grade polymers. It will be important to investigate long-term safety and efficacy in medical applications to ensure the technology is viable.
Collaboration with industry, particularly medical device manufacturers and healthcare providers, will play a critical role in commercializing and adopting plasma treatment technology. These partnerships will help to provide access to necessary specific materials and facilitate demonstrations in real-world settings.
As plasma treatment technology advances, the development of supportive regulatory frameworks and standardized guidelines will be necessary to ensure its safe use in healthcare settings. This includes obtaining certifications for medical device applications and ensuring compliance with environmental and safety regulations.
Finally, to establish plasma treatment as a superior alternative to existing sterilization methods, direct comparisons with current hospital techniques will be essential. This will help identify the unique advantages of plasma treatment and where improvements can be made.
One of the key outcomes was demonstrating that direct plasma treatment is highly effective in completely destroying bacterial biofilms. However, the initial studies were limited to biofilms created by a single species. Future research will focus on more complex biofilms formed by multiple species, which will be more challenging.
Additionally, while plasma treatment shows promise as a sterilization method, more work is required to ensure its safety and compatibility in medical applications. The experiments so far used non-medical-grade polymers, so future research will involve treating medical-grade materials to confirm their suitability in healthcare settings. A comparison with current hospital disinfection methods is also needed, and this will be a priority for future work to better understand how plasma treatment compares in terms of safety and effectiveness.
Preliminary results indicate that plasma treatment could be a safe and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional sterilization techniques. Demonstrating this technology in real-world healthcare environments with the support of industrial partners will be key to proving its viability.
For the successful uptake and further development of plasma technology, continued research is required to explore the potential of plasma treatment on real, multi-species biofilms, and its effects on medical-grade polymers. It will be important to investigate long-term safety and efficacy in medical applications to ensure the technology is viable.
Collaboration with industry, particularly medical device manufacturers and healthcare providers, will play a critical role in commercializing and adopting plasma treatment technology. These partnerships will help to provide access to necessary specific materials and facilitate demonstrations in real-world settings.
As plasma treatment technology advances, the development of supportive regulatory frameworks and standardized guidelines will be necessary to ensure its safe use in healthcare settings. This includes obtaining certifications for medical device applications and ensuring compliance with environmental and safety regulations.
Finally, to establish plasma treatment as a superior alternative to existing sterilization methods, direct comparisons with current hospital techniques will be essential. This will help identify the unique advantages of plasma treatment and where improvements can be made.