PFI (RAPID): Disinfection of COVID-19 Coronavirus via Cold Plasma Treatment

该创新伙伴关系（PFI） RAPID项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是开发一种“干”冷等离子体处理方法，这将导致用于日常用品消毒的商用设备，以紧急应对COVID-19大流行。与“湿”消毒剂（如洗手液、酒精和漂白剂）可能不容易用于织物表面消毒相比，“干”方法可以应用于日常用品，包括邮件、递送的包裹、纸币和衣物，这些物品可能通过与公众接触而被污染。冷等离子体是一种离子气体，由室温下产生的射频电源在大气压力下产生。冷等离子体可以产生许多对包括SARS-CoV-2在内的多种病毒致命的反应性物质。低温大气等离子体对环境无害，操作安全。它可以迅速发展成为每个家庭使用的手持设备。通过此次研究，可以开发出适用于新型冠状病毒感染症（COVID-19）的消毒方法，并使社会能够快速、安全地应对病毒大流行。这个项目的成功将确保美国在医学科学和技术方面保持强有力的领导地位。该项目的重点是获得第一手实验数据，以设计和开发一种商业产品，用于日常用品的日常消毒，这些日常用品可能不容易被传统的湿式消毒剂处理。该研究小组将在生物安全2级（BSL2）实验室开发几种等离子体系统，并研究等离子体消融病毒对表面常规消毒的效果。最初的研究将集中在典型包膜病毒或假型病毒的血浆消毒上。在确定导致病毒失活的机制后，研究小组将确定一个BSL3实验室，在那里Sars-CoV-2本身可以进行血浆治疗和测试。本研究的目的是确定与冠状病毒灭活相关的血浆治疗的分子和病毒反应，并优化系统参数，以获得最有效的消毒治疗。该团队将系统地控制等离子体参数，如频率、功率和治疗时间，并将观察细胞-等离子体在病毒转染和活性方面的相互作用。实验数据将为新型消毒装置的设计提供科学依据，这种新型消毒装置可以快速开发和商业化，从而有效控制COVID-19。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) RAPID project is the development of a “dry” cold plasma treatment that would lead to a commercial device for disinfection of everyday items in order to urgently respond to COVID-19 pandemic. In contrast to “wet” disinfectants such as hand sanitizers, alcohol, and bleach that may not be readily used for disinfecting fabric surfaces, the “dry” approach can be applied to everyday items including mail, delivered packages, paper money, and clothing that can become contaminated through contact with the public. Cold plasma is a gas of ions generated by radio frequency power produced at room temperature and applied at atmospheric pressure. Cold plasma can generate many reactive species that are lethal to a variety of viruses including SARS-CoV-2. Cold atmospheric plasma is environmentally benign and safe to operate. It can be quickly developed into a hand-held device for every household use. This research will allow the team to develop an adaptable disinfection method for COVID-19 control and enable society to respond to viral pandemics quickly and safely. Success of this project will ensure that the United States maintains strong leadership in medical sciences and technologies.The project focuses on obtaining first-hand experimental data to design and develop a commercial product for daily disinfection of everyday items that may not be easily treated by conventional wet disinfectants. The research team will develop several plasma systems in a biosafety level-2 (BSL2) lab and investigate the efficacy of plasma ablation of viruses for routine disinfection of surfaces. The initial study will focus on plasma disinfection of typical enveloped viruses or pseudotyped viruses. After identifying the mechanism that results in virus inactivation, the team will then identify a BSL3 laboratory where Sars-CoV-2 itself can be plasma treated and tested. The goals of this research are to determine the molecular and viral responses to plasma treatment related to coronavirus inactivation and optimize the system parameters for the most effective disinfection treatment. The team will systematically control the plasma parameters such as frequency, power, and treatment time and will observe cell-plasma interactions in terms of viral-transfection and activity. The experimental data will provide a scientific base for the design of a novel disinfection device that can be quickly developed and commercialized for effective control of COVID-19.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.