Cold Atmospheric Plasma for Promoting Neural Regeneration

In small amounts, reactive oxygen molecules and other products of plasma that are otherwise deleterious to tissue health can promote growth, regeneration, and longevity. This phenomenon could be harnessed to improve the outcome of traumatic brain or spinal cord injury. The objective of this research is to determine network, cellular, and molecular mechanisms that affect neuronal recovery from injury to help improve therapeutic strategies for treatment of neuronal injury. The NJIT and PCRF research team will determine the effects of cold atmospheric plasma on neural regeneration in live organism such as nematode and investigate possible mechanism of action. The rationale is that by regulating the operation parameters of devices that generate plasma in room temperature and atmospheric pressure, it is possible to find the therapeutic window between neuronal regeneration and harm. The system of laser microsurgery will allow a precise, repeatable injury to an axon or dendrite of neurons with no collateral damage in a live organism and application of plasma reproducible in energy, time, and space. The project will aim to characterize the plasma properties needed for regeneration by two innovative plasma producing devices, assess the efficacy of the treatment, the induced physiological levels of radical species, and test the interaction with candidate genes. When completed, the study will have both basic science and therapeutic impacts. By testing the effect on neuronal regeneration and its mechanism of action, the study will contribute to the fundamental understanding bioactive properties of plasma in live organisms. By characterizing the novel design of the plasma generating devices, the study will expand the therapeutic potential of plasma. Investigating the window between therapeutic and harmful effects of plasma in vivo is crucial for the future of plasma medicine.