An Engineered Robotic Plasma Array for Large Area Surface Decontamination

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Project Summary/Abstract Surface contamination by Coronaviruses like SARS-CoV-2, and other pathogenic viruses and bacteria pose significant risks for the spread of disease in medical facilities. This increases hospital labor costs for staff to constantly clean surfaces with disinfectants to slow the spread of disease. Infectious hosts can shed SARS-CoV-2 and other pathogens that deposit on solid surfaces and transmit disease to new hosts. This persistent transmission is exemplified by Coronaviruses, as they can persist on surfaces for hours or days and remain infectious through casual physical contact. Among bacterial pathogens, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Clostridium difficile (CDif, and many others) are known to spread through contact with surfaces contaminated by cells or spores shed from infected hosts. While physical or chemical surface treatments, such as topical antiseptics and air-filtration, can mitigate transmission, these treatments are not always practical or compatible with the physical or chemical makeup of the treated surface. These treatments also consume vast quantities of gloves, wipes, disinfectant chemicals, and time. An approach that reduces material consumption, while still compatible with use around people, is required for hospitals and other clinical settings. Cold atmospheric-pressure plasma (CAP) has been studied for its ability to inactivate bacterial pathogens on surfaces, but seldom examined for anti-viral effects. Further, a clear implementation path for the treatment of large surface areas found in medical facilities has yet to be established. This proposed research provides an engineering driven approach to transition CAP systems from laboratory settings to more realistic applications in medical environments. The approach is supported by Specific Aim 1: Construct CAP-Arrays that demonstrate rapid inactivation of Coronavirus and other microbial pathogen surface contaminants, and by Specific Aim 2: Fully integrate a CAP-Array into a robotic system and demonstrate rapid inactivation of Coronavirus and other pathogens over large areas and varieties of surfaces. This project will develop a large CAP-Array (10 cm x 10 cm) deployed on a semiautonomous robotic system to enable rapid, cost-effective plasma treatment of large surface areas, without the need for chemicals and with little risk to personnel. The CAP-Array will be tested on a variety of real-world relevant surfaces, such as linoleum tile, painted drywall, and formica tabletops, for its ability to inactivate viruses such as human and animal Coronaviruses (H229E, MHV) that provide good models for activity against SARS-CoV-2, and against representative bacterial pathogens such as MRSA. The objectives of this proposal are to (1) demonstrate that CAP- Array treatment can cause a 3-log reduction in pathogen viability in <5 s over a 100 cm2 area without scanning and then (2) demonstrate that the CAP-Array-Robot system can be deployed to treat a 2500 cm2 surface in <125 s and cause a 3-log reduction in pathogen viability. A workforce of engineering and biological science graduate and undergraduate students will develop and test the CAP-Arrays, prepare viral and bacterial pathogen samples, and measure pathogen viability after plasma treatment. The success of this project will lead to a new paradigm for robotic sanitizing equipment useful in decontaminating surfaces in healthcare and other settings.