Seminar: Plasma Interaction with Cell-Containing Liquid – What is Important Physics?

Transport of active species in non-equilibrium plasma into a downstream aqueous sample represents an important research topic with significant application opportunities. When well controlled, reactive plasma species are capable of eradicating pathogens or cancer cells without undue damages to healthy tissues, thus offering a novel physics-based strategy to combat some of the greatest threats to human health (e.g. hospital-acquired infections).  As a therapeutic intervention, plasma becomes a drug and as dug its dose must be understood and quantitatively controlled.  What does this mean for plasma physics in terms of detection, control, and indeed new knowledge that may catalyze a successful translation of the gas plasma technology for health care?  It is known that many biological effects of gas plasmas are facilitated mostly by reactive plasma species such as 1O2, O2Ÿ-, ŸOH and NOŸ and some of these reactive oxygen species (ROS) can permeate into the cell to directly regulate the functions and indeed the fate of the cell.  However, it is not clear which plasma-produced extracellular ROS can make into the cell and indeed which gaseous ROS make it to the liquid bulk in adequate concentrations.  Starting from the endpoint of a useful technology for health care, this seminar discusses the challenges to plasma physics from some of the key knowledge gaps, through the need for new diagnostics and simulation tools, to opportunities for plasma physics to advance its scientific and technological frontiers by embracing capabilities of other disciplines.  

Hosted by Professor Igor Adamovich