Application of Plasma Technology in Bioscience and Biomedicine

Dear Colleagues,

Plasma technology has been an integral part of life sciences research for decades through its role in the manufacture and modification of material surface characteristics of many common laboratory consumables. However, in recent years, the use of plasma at room temperature and atmospheric pressure (cold atmospheric plasma) has moved into the more immediate focus of bioscience and biomedicine due to its applicability to heat sensitive materials, including biomaterials, cells and tissue.

Plasma can elicit a wide range of biological effects predominantly based on the action of various reactive species generated in the discharge which can modify biomolecules, affect cell growth and behaviour or inactivate microorganisms. Its antimicrobial properties and the ability to control biofilms make cold plasma an interesting candidate for decontamination applications in the environmental, food or medical context. Plasma can on the one hand stimulate cell growth, which can benefit wound healing, and on the other hand inhibit proliferation, which is of interest in cancer treatment. It has been demonstrated that plasma can degrade biomolecules but also modify chemical structures and enzyme activities. Plasma deposition is used for generating material coatings with particular biological functions that increase biocompatibility or reduce cellular or microbial adhesion and find use in medical devices and biosensors. Plasma has also been demonstrated as a useful tool for delivering agents into cells such as nanoparticles, drugs or genes, and it can directly affect cell fate by influencing cell differentiation patterns or tissue regeneration. In addition, plasma-activated/treated liquids generated by exposing liquids to a plasma discharge can achieve many of the aforementioned biological effects induced by direct plasma due to a retention of longer-lived plasma reactive species. Recent years have seen cold plasma move into the clinic for its use in wound healing, and further applications are likely to follow.

In this Special Issue, we would like to cover the breadth and diversity of plasma technology in bioscience and biomedicine and provide a snapshot of some of the exciting research currently happening in this field.

Dr. Daniela Boehm
Dr. Cristina Canal 
Guest Editors

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