State Secretary Rudolph: Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is a pioneer in plasma medicine / First clinical study proves faster wound healing with plasma
Karlsburg, 1 September 2020. The Kompetenzzentrum Diabetes Karlsburg (KDK) is celebrating an outstanding success on 1 September 2020: for the first time, a clinical study has scientifically confirmed that physical plasma has a significant positive effect on chronic wounds and leads to faster healing of diabetic foot syndrome. This was made possible by close cooperation between medical professionals, scientists and entrepreneurs. Partners in the user-initiated study for better wound care for patients were the Heart and Diabetes Centre North Rhine-Westphalia (HDZ NRW) in Bad Oeynhausen, the Heart and Diabetes Centre Karlsburg, the Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP) and the Greifswald-based company neoplas med GmbH. The scientific results were recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA Network Open).
State funding for KDK
Dr Stefan Rudolph, State Secretary in the Ministry of Economics of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, praised the pioneering role of the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in the development of plasma medicine in his statement. According to Rudolph, the foundations for this were laid at the INP. The institute was one of the first scientific institutions worldwide whose application-oriented research and development led to the first certified plasma medical product, the Plasmajet kINPen® MED, in 2013. The device was brought to market and thus to patients by a spin-off of the institute, the company neoplas med GmbH. For the CEO and Scientific Director of the INP, the device is a prime example of successful technology transfer. "Within just a few years, we have managed to turn an idea into a finished product on the market that has been proven to benefit patients with chronic conditions. I am delighted that the collaboration between scientists, founders and clinicians is working so well and that we can count on the support of politicians," said Prof. Dr. Klaus-Dieter Weltmann. The Kompetenzzentrum Diabetes Karlsburg (KDK) was set up specifically to promote synergy effects between research and practice. The state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania has provided 2.5 million euros in funding for the establishment of the KDK. Since 2016, scientists have been working literally at the patient's bedside.
State Secretary Rudolph emphasised: "When the foundation stone was laid in Karlsburg for the construction of the Kompetenzzentrum Diabetes Karlsburg, which was intended to further intensify cooperation between research and medicine, our main focus was on improving wound care for diabetes patients. I am delighted that these hopes have been fulfilled."
The Karlsburg Clinic was open to the new development from Greifswald right from the start. Plasma medicine quickly found its way into everyday clinical practice. "We were one of the first clinics in Europe to use cold plasma on patients. The study confirms our positive experiences in everyday clinical practice. Plasma is effective in treating chronic wounds," explained Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Motz, Medical Director of the Karlsburg Clinic. Diabetic foot syndrome is now regularly treated with kINPen® MED at his clinic. "The course of the disease in patients with diabetic foot syndrome is usually complex and can drag on for weeks. Accelerated wound healing significantly improves the quality of life of this patient group," said Prof. Motz. Plasma treatment not only kills microorganisms and thus combats infections, but also actively accelerates tissue regeneration.
"We are delighted that clinical evidence of the benefits of cold plasma therapy is now available," says Ulrike Sailer, managing partner of neoplas med. "With this data behind us, we now want to enter into dialogue with statutory health insurance companies so that patients in Germany can benefit from this future-oriented technology as soon as possible."
62 wound healings examined in study
The clinical study examined 62 wounds caused by diabetic foot in 43 hospitalised patients whose wounds showed no signs of healing after three weeks of standard therapy. The patients were randomly divided into two groups of 31 wounds each. After 14 days of treatment, the wound surface area of the wounds treated with cold plasma had reduced by an average of 69.5 percent. In the placebo group, the reduction was 44.8 percent. "The healing process was significantly accelerated with cold plasma therapy, which led to faster wound closure, according t ," explained the head of the clinical trial, Prof. Dr. Diethelm Tschöpe, Director of the Diabetes Centre at HDZ NRW, who is also Chairman of the KDK Advisory Board. Study director PD Dr. Bernd Stratmann from the Diabetes Centre in Bad Oeynhausen also noted high patient tolerability. No side effects were observed. At the event, Prof. Tschöpe emphasised that cold plasma treatments are also relevant from a health economics perspective. Faster wound healing enables earlier discharge from the clinic. The treatment of chronic wounds costs the healthcare system around 10,000 euros per year per patient. In Germany, around 900,000 people suffer from chronic wounds, i.e. wounds that heal poorly or not at all. One of the most common causes of chronic wounds is diabetic foot syndrome.
Further fields of application in sight
Intensive work is already underway to develop further areas of application, for example in cardiology and cancer therapy. During the event in Karlsburg, State Secretary Rudolph expressed his satisfaction with the development of plasma medicine in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: "It's great when the state promotes research, local companies bring products to market and the people in our state benefit directly from the new therapies. What we have achieved here in plasma medicine is unique." That is why the cooperation between research and medicine in Karlsburg is to be further intensified.
