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“干燥”冷等离子体处理，将导致用于日常物品消毒的商业设备，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）相比，“干”方法可用于日常物品，包括邮件、包裹、纸币和衣服，这些物品可能会因与公众接触而受到污染。冷等离子体是由在室温下产生并在大气压下施加的射频功率产生的离子气体。冷等离子体可以产生许多活性物质，这些活性物质对包括SARS-CoV-2在内的各种病毒都是致命的。冷大气等离子体是环境友好的，并且操作安全。它可以迅速发展成为每个家庭使用的手持设备。这项研究将使该团队能够开发出一种适应性强的消毒方法来控制COVID-19，并使社会能够快速安全地应对病毒大流行。该项目的成功将确保美国在医学科学和技术方面保持强大的领导地位，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，用于对常规湿消毒剂可能不容易处理的日常物品进行日常消毒。该研究小组将在生物安全2级（BSL 2）实验室中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有效性。初步研究将侧重于典型包膜病毒或假型病毒的血浆消毒。在确定了导致病毒灭活的机制后，研究小组将确定一个BSL 3实验室，在那里可以对SARS-CoV-2进行血浆处理和测试。本研究的目的是确定与冠状病毒灭活相关的等离子体处理的分子和病毒反应，并优化系统参数，以实现最有效的消毒处理。该团队将系统地控制等离子体参数，如频率，功率和处理时间，并将观察病毒转染和活性方面的细胞-血浆相互作用。实验数据将为新型消毒设备的设计提供科学基础，该设备可以快速开发和商业化，以有效控制COVID-19。该奖项反映了NSF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.