SBIR Phase I: Non-Thermal Plasma Device for Wound Disinfection and Promotion of Wound Healing

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is intended to demonstrate the disinfection efficacy of a novel non-thermal-plasma-generating technology that produces a variety of reactive ionic species. Non-thermal plasma discharge has been found to be disruptive to normal bacterial, viral, and spore cell growth and proliferation. Plasma exposure has also been successful at destabilizing biofilms and reducing overall bacterial viability. Phase I work will define the ionic, molecular, and radiation species present in the plasma plume for a wider range of feed gas, and determine which species are most effective at achieving bacterial disinfection, how deep into the infected tissue the plasma plume is effective, and the treatment times necessary to disinfect these tissues. With modifications to the device construction allowing variations in the concentrations of constituents in the feed gas, it is believed that plasmas generated by this device should also impair biofilm formation, destabilize biofilm formation once they mature, and kill large amounts (if not all) of bacteria embedded within the in vitro constructs. With antibiotic resistance and nosocomial infection rates climbing in medical facilities, demonstration of significant germicidal capabilities of non-thermal plasma could be advantageous for patient care. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is the creation of a unique, portable, and low-cost device that will allow for treatment of wounds without inducing drug-resistance while simultaneously shortening the healing time, thus reducing the treatment cost by 50% or more. This is especially critical for a number of chronic and antibiotic-resistant wounds. The economic and social impact of wound injuries and subsequent infection is immense. The most serious challenge in wound care is treatment of chronic wounds. Chronic wounds affect 6.5 Million people in the US with an estimated $25 billion spent annually on treatment. This number continues to grow due to increasing health care costs, an aging population, and the rise worldwide in the incidence of diabetes and obesity and their associated chronic wounds. The successful development of this technology will have a broad positive impact on patient outcomes.