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HEDoctoral network2024–2027

PlasmACT · Plasma Medicine against Actinic Keratosis

Horizon Europe — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Duration
2024-01-01 → 2027-12-31
EU contribution
€2,146,615
Participants
16
Scheme
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-DN

Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.

Results in brief

Plasma Medicine against Actinic Keratosis

Physical technologies are playing an increasing role in medicine; among these, cold (gas) plasma – partially ionized gas generated at near‑body temperature – shows promise, especially in dermatology. Based on positive clinical results in wound care and encouraging preclinical cancer data, the plasmACT network investigates cold‑plasma treatment for actinic keratosis (AK), a highly prevalent, sun‑induced precancerous condition (affecting ~50% of older white males in Europe) that can progress to squamous‑cell carcinoma. Current AK therapies have limited efficacy, side effects, and cost burdens; early clinical evidence indicates cold plasma can induce lesion regression with few side effects. PlasmACT unites experts across physics, engineering, chemistry, biology, medicine, regulation, and industry to advance a scalable MultiJet device (GREMI) that treats larger, uneven areas more efficiently than single‑jet systems. The project will develop the device from lab prototype to clinical candidate by characterizing its physical, chemical, and biological effects across in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo models. Key objectives of the plasmACT consortium are: refine MultiJet plasma physics; ensure regulatory‑aware device design; map reactive‑species generation (experiments + modelling); define electric‑field and plasma–tissue effects; elucidate keratinocyte biochemistry and immunological responses; and enable technology transfer and commercialization. The overall aim is a safe, cost‑effective plasma therapy for early AK treatment and strengthened European leadership in plasma medicine.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

The quality of human (and veterinary) health care systems substantially depends on key innovations. Often, these were driven by the field of physics, followed by interdisciplinary and inter-sectorial actions in engineering, chemistry, biology, and medicine, such as X-rays in medical diagnostics, ionizing radiation in cancer treatment, and femtosecond lasers for precision surgery. Medical gas plasma technology was introduced to human health care a decade ago. Today, accredited medical plasma devices are in daily operation in dozen dermatology centers in middle Europe to improve wound healing. In addition, physical plasmas were shown to inactivate cancerous cells. Actinic Keratosis is a skin disease affecting millions of Europeans and making them prone to invasive and deadly skin cancer. Many of the available treatment options are associated with low efficacy, pain, risks, and/or high costs. Medical gas plasma technology is operated at body temperature and applied painlessly, cost-effectively, and without notable side effects. Gas plasma has been suggested to be active on high-grade cancer cells, but its activity against premalignant cells, as in Actinic Keratosis, is unknown. By using beyond state-of-the-art plasma multijet technology, the primary technical objective of PlasmACT – Plasma against Actinic Keratosis – is to support skin cancer prevention by medical gas plasma therapy of Actinic Keratosis. PlasmACT does so by educating a new generation of application-oriented scientists that are exposed to questions and findings from different scientific fields (interdisciplinary from physics over chemistry and biology to medicine) and capable of addressing questions in view of both academic as well as business needs (inter-sectoral) while incorporated in a vivid and productive environment across borders and cultures (international).

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

  • LEIBNIZ-INSTITUT FUR PLASMAFORSCHUNG UND TECHNOLOGIE EV · GreifswaldCoordinatorGermany
  • ANICELLS · NIELBelgium
  • BERNARD GREGORY · ParisFrance
  • CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS · ParisFrance
  • CEVA SANTE ANIMALE SA · LibourneFrance
  • COLDPLASMATECH GmbH · GreifswaldGermany
  • CORTRONIK GmbH · RostockGermany
  • IDEVAX · WijnegemBelgium
  • INSTITUT FUR IMPLANTATTECHNOLOGIE UND BIOMATERIALIEN EV · RostockGermany
  • MILTENYI BIOTEC GMBH · Bergish GladbachGermany
  • MOLECULAR PLASMA GROUP SA · MondercangeLuxembourg
  • TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITEIT EINDHOVEN · EindhovenNetherlands
  • UNIVERSITATSMEDIZIN ROSTOCK · RostockGermany
  • UNIVERSITE D'ORLEANS · Orleans Cedex 2France
  • UNIVERSITEIT ANTWERPEN · AntwerpenBelgium
  • VITALFLUID BV · EINDHOVENNetherlands

Links

Data: CORDIS, © European Union