BMBF research project is providing €700,000 in funding for the further development of cold atmospheric pressure plasma jets at the Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology.
Plasma medicine is a young interdisciplinary field of research at the interface between plasma physics and life sciences, which has been experiencing a significant upswing worldwide for about ten years. Under the leadership of the Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP), Greifswald has established itself as an international leader in this new field of research.
In cooperation with neoplas tools GmbH, the PlasmaJet kINPen MED, which was developed from INP research, was CE certified as a Class IIa medical device in 2013. After years of research, plasma medicine has thus successfully made the transition to clinical practice. This plasma device is currently used primarily for the treatment of chronic wounds and infectious skin diseases.
The BMBF research project "Expansion of the medical applications of cold atmospheric pressure plasma jets", known as MEDKAP for short, is investigating new fields of application that have emerged as opportunities but also as new challenges from the BMBF funding measure "Campus PlasmaMed". In addition to improving the performance parameters of plasma devices, MEDKAP is focusing on the design and testing of a large-area and an endoscopic jet plasma source.
In dermatology, the INP is also investigating whether plasma therapy is promising for the treatment of vitiligo. In dentistry, the project focuses on the development of a plasma device for dental applications, especially for root canal treatments. Another focus is on tumour therapy. Physical plasma is combined with another biologically effective technology, known as pulsed electric fields, to inactivate cancer cells. The extent to which this " " technology can reduce the metastatic potential of tumour cells is being investigated. In addition, the use of physical plasma is also promising in the field of pulmonary tuberculosis. After testing the effectiveness of plasma against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the plan is to develop a special endoscopic plasma device for treatment.
The MEDKAP project was funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research with €700,000 over a period of 13 months. It was part of the German government's high-tech strategy in the field of "healthy living", which promotes research and development of new innovative solutions in the health industry. The project is a collaboration between the Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology and partners from research, medicine and industry.
