Award 'Robert Oppenheimer' - 2021.

Non-thermal plasma (NTP) technology has been investigated for its anti-cancer and immunogenic effects for cancer therapy. NTP systems for biomedical applications have been thoroughly characterized for in vitro systems, which include component analysis (e.g. pulsed-electric fields, UV radiation), gas-phase measurements of excited and reactive species, and liquid chemistry studies. Already it has been shown to induce immunogenic cell death (ICD), a highly favorable type of cell death for cancer immunotherapy that is characterized by the release of 'danger signals', known to stimulate key immune cells for initiating an adaptive immune response. Despite promising advances in plasma therapy for cancers (a field now coined as 'plasma oncology'), several gaps in knowledge still remain which hinder translation of this technology including: 1) determining the proper 'NTP treatment dose' and 2) defining effective treatment schedules for combination therapies. In this study, we aim to correlate NTP treatment dose to anti-cancer effect and determine the efficacy of NTP treatment in strategic combination other therapies. To investigate this, an in vivo cancer model will be used in order take into account the complex interactions between NTP, the tumor, the tumor microenvironment, and the immune system. We will use the B16-F10 melanoma cell line with syngeneic C57BL/6J mice. Results of these experiments will provide insight into standardizing NTP treatment and help streamline adoption of NTP technologies into the clinic.

Keywords:CANCER THERAPY, BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING, PLASMA MEDICINE, REDOX REACTIONS

Disciplines:Physics of gases, plasmas and electric discharges not elsewhere classified, Other (bio)medical engineering not elsewhere classified, Cancer therapy