I-Corps: Device to deliver cold plasma therapeutic to wound sites to promote wound healing

这个i-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发一种基于冷等离子体的伤口愈合设备。目前可用的大多数先进治疗设备都很昂贵，需要很长的治疗时间，这阻碍了在兽医和人类治疗应用中的采用。这种设备的目的是帮助糖尿病和其他复发或耐化学药物感染的伤口。此外，冷等离子体还可用于其他应用，包括航空航天和食品部门以及杀菌工业。这项拟议的技术是基于冷等离子体与细胞相互作用的发展。该技术利用表面放电产生等离子体，将空气中的各种分子转化为有用的自由基。该设备本身将具有手持外形，以允许移动性、快速部署和使用该技术的快速治疗。这项技术的进一步发展可能会导致其他几种冷等离子体应用。这个i-Corps项目是基于一种为伤口愈合应用提供冷等离子体的设备的开发。拟议的技术在短时间内(以分钟为单位)将冷血浆直接输送到伤口部位，这将促进伤口愈合，减少整体卧床休息，并减少为表面伤口愈合而配制的局部软膏的使用。这项技术利用一种物理手段对伤口进行消毒，使其能够治疗具有化学耐药性的感染。此外，该技术利用血浆产生的自由基通过激活诱导胶原产生的成纤维细胞来促进晚期炎症和伤口收缩。这项技术旨在通过设备输送冷血浆，以促进伤口愈合，同时保持一定的灭菌水平，以防止再次感染。该装置可以被操纵，从而允许治疗各种不同大小的伤口。各种研究表明，该技术可将伤口愈合时间缩短25%。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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 I-Corps project is the development of a cold plasma-based wound healing device. Most currently available advanced therapeutic devices are costly and require lengthy treatment times, which has inhibited adoption in both veterinary and human therapeutic applications. This device is aimed at aiding diabetic and other recurrent or chemically resistant infected wounds. In addition, cold plasma may be used in other applications including aerospace and food sectors as well as in sterilization industries. The proposed technology is based on the development of a cold plasma versus cell interactions. The technology utilizes surface discharge to generate plasma to convert various molecules in the air into useful radicals. The device itself will have a handheld form factor to allow for mobility, rapid deployment, and quick treatment using the technology. Further development of this technology may lead to several other cold plasma applications.This I-Corps project is based on the development of a device to deliver cold plasma for wound healing applications. The proposed technology delivers cold plasma directly to wound sites over a short treatment time (measured in minutes), that will promote wound healing, reduce overall bed rest, and lessen the use of topical ointments formulated for surface wound healing. The technology utilizes a physical means to disinfect wounds allowing it to treat chemically resistant infections. Additionally, the technology utilizes plasma-generated radical species to promote late phase inflammation and wound contraction through the activation of fibroblast cells that induce the production of collagen. The technology is designed to deliver cold plasma through a device to promote wound healing while maintaining a level of sterilization to prevent reinfection. The device may be manipulated allowing for the treatment of a large variety of wound sizes. Various studies have shown that the technology may produce up to a 25% reduction in wound healing time.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.