Minimally invasive technique kills cancer without harming healthy cells

A minimally invasive technique developed at Purdue University could help doctors treat cancerous cells, tissues and tumors without affecting nearby healthy cells.

Dubbed PLASMAT - Plasma Technologies for a Healthier Tomorrow – the method combines three emerging techniques that show promise in the fight against most types of cancer.

PLASMAT is said to combine cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) with electroporation and/or photoporation to eradicate cancerous cells without harming nearby healthy ones. Purdue add that the method has proven effective in the laboratory against several types of cancerous cells and cancer lines, including types of breast cancer, mouth/cervical cancer and prostate cancer.

CAP, a near room temperature ionized gas, is used to introduce active oxygen or nitrogen species into the cancerous cells, tissues or tumors. An electric field or a laser is used to open the membranes of the cells for introduction of the species. This introduction leads to the destruction of cancer cells once a critical level of reactive species is reached. Nearby healthy cells are either unaffected or minimally affected.