Lee Euler, Editor
16 December 2012
Painless "Blowtorch" Procedure
Creates Mutiny in Cancer Cells
Imagine a riot inside the body of a cancer sufferer: Diseased cells turn on and destroy each other. . .induce their own death. . .and bring down all their fellow cancer cells.
But this "riot" leaves the healthy cells around them untouched.
It may sound like the stuff of science fiction, but new research has tapped incredible promise in a new, low-temperature "plasma blowtorch." This scene could soon be a reality for cancer patients. Keep reading for more. .
But this "riot" leaves the healthy cells around them untouched.
It may sound like the stuff of science fiction, but new research has tapped incredible promise in a new, low-temperature "plasma blowtorch." This scene could soon be a reality for cancer patients. Keep reading for more. .
The cold plasma blowtorch method
The blowtorch approach generates a beam of room-temperature plasma, safe enough to touch with your hand. A plasma is a sort of gas containing ionized or charged molecules. The plasma in this new treatment comes from nontoxic, room-temperature gases like helium, along with gases found in the air we breathe.
To make the plasma, scientists force fast-moving electrons through the previously mentioned room-temperature gases. This sparks such a massive energy burst that the outer strings of electron bonds collide with the atoms and molecules inside the gases. The electrons and ions that are knocked free then form a non-bonded, "soupy" mixture. The energy required to break the electrons away from their atoms dispels quickly, so the gas ions stay cool.
The plasma is directed in a pencil-point beam that uses short pulses with high voltage to pump out a low-temperature plume. A blowtorch is one analogy. You could also describe it as a sort of plasma gun, or perhaps a fire hose. But I'm neither a techie nor an engineer, so take my comments accordingly.
The point is that it shoots out a directed stream of particles that wreck cancer cells.
Dr. Mounir Laroussie, who directs the Laser and Plasma Engineering Institute at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, along with his team, wanted to test the effects of this plasma mixture on cancers. They took aim at leukemia cells and got a double surprise.
The first surprise was that nothing happened to the cells right after the plasma treatment. They didn't react, and they certainly didn't die ... at first.
But about four hours later — and in some cases, as long as eight hours later — things started happening. The cancer cells began to die. But of equal importance was the fact that normal cells around them were unaffected.
Further testing showed compelling results: Over 90 percent of leukemia cells were obliterated after only 10 minutes of treatment with this cold plasma blowtorch.
Loroussie believes there's a biochemical reaction that takes place when cancer cells are shot with cold plasma, which is what prompts the cancer cells to self-destruct while healthy cells are left unharmed.
To make the plasma, scientists force fast-moving electrons through the previously mentioned room-temperature gases. This sparks such a massive energy burst that the outer strings of electron bonds collide with the atoms and molecules inside the gases. The electrons and ions that are knocked free then form a non-bonded, "soupy" mixture. The energy required to break the electrons away from their atoms dispels quickly, so the gas ions stay cool.
The plasma is directed in a pencil-point beam that uses short pulses with high voltage to pump out a low-temperature plume. A blowtorch is one analogy. You could also describe it as a sort of plasma gun, or perhaps a fire hose. But I'm neither a techie nor an engineer, so take my comments accordingly.
The point is that it shoots out a directed stream of particles that wreck cancer cells.
Dr. Mounir Laroussie, who directs the Laser and Plasma Engineering Institute at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, along with his team, wanted to test the effects of this plasma mixture on cancers. They took aim at leukemia cells and got a double surprise.
The first surprise was that nothing happened to the cells right after the plasma treatment. They didn't react, and they certainly didn't die ... at first.
But about four hours later — and in some cases, as long as eight hours later — things started happening. The cancer cells began to die. But of equal importance was the fact that normal cells around them were unaffected.
Further testing showed compelling results: Over 90 percent of leukemia cells were obliterated after only 10 minutes of treatment with this cold plasma blowtorch.
Loroussie believes there's a biochemical reaction that takes place when cancer cells are shot with cold plasma, which is what prompts the cancer cells to self-destruct while healthy cells are left unharmed.
Why healthy cells stay protected
The secret ingredient in this procedure may come down to ozone, which is one of the key molecules in cold plasma.
Ozone is a particularly reactive molecule with three oxygen atoms, as opposed to the two oxygen atoms found in the air we breathe. Ozone is increasingly useful in modern medicine. It's known to kill bacterial infections, which is important considering the increase we're seeing in drug-resistant bacteria.
As it turns out, ozone is a natural byproduct of a cell's metabolic cycle. And when you compare cancer cells to healthy cells, the cancer cells have much higher metabolisms. This naturally leads to elevated ozone levels.
So if you add extra ozone to the already-elevated ozone levels in cancer cells, it pushes those cancer cells to self-destruct in a frenzy of apoptosis. But, since healthy cells have lower levels of ozone to begin with, adding this additional ozone dose doesn't push them over the edge. They stay safe and unharmed.
That's the reason there's so much excitement behind this treatment. It's also why cold plasma treatment could be a major breakthrough for leukemia patients. Because even though leukemia patients often go on to lead healthy lives after overcoming cancer, they chronically suffer from the long-term side effects of interventions like chemotherapy, radiation, and bone marrow transplants. The side effects can include everything from hair loss to memory impairment to nerve damage.
Ozone is a particularly reactive molecule with three oxygen atoms, as opposed to the two oxygen atoms found in the air we breathe. Ozone is increasingly useful in modern medicine. It's known to kill bacterial infections, which is important considering the increase we're seeing in drug-resistant bacteria.
As it turns out, ozone is a natural byproduct of a cell's metabolic cycle. And when you compare cancer cells to healthy cells, the cancer cells have much higher metabolisms. This naturally leads to elevated ozone levels.
So if you add extra ozone to the already-elevated ozone levels in cancer cells, it pushes those cancer cells to self-destruct in a frenzy of apoptosis. But, since healthy cells have lower levels of ozone to begin with, adding this additional ozone dose doesn't push them over the edge. They stay safe and unharmed.
That's the reason there's so much excitement behind this treatment. It's also why cold plasma treatment could be a major breakthrough for leukemia patients. Because even though leukemia patients often go on to lead healthy lives after overcoming cancer, they chronically suffer from the long-term side effects of interventions like chemotherapy, radiation, and bone marrow transplants. The side effects can include everything from hair loss to memory impairment to nerve damage.
Highway to cell death
Cold plasma treatment is getting a lot of attention, thanks to the findings described above. Researchers are hopeful it can be developed for other cancers, beyond leukemia. Research is already underway on how to properly dose skin, lung, and brain cancers with plasma treatments.
Low-temperature plasma may also help with a host of other unmanageable diseases and drug-resistant bacterial infections. One hope is that it can be used to curb the plaques that prompt Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
Of course, it's not widely available yet and has to jump through a bunch of regulatory hoops. Fortunately, it doesn't appear to have long-term side effects.
At the very least, it tells us we need to find out more about how plasma prompts cell death. The complexities of different cancers make it hard to come up with effective treatments. But if the cold plasma route is as effective as some researchers think it could be, all that's left is to work out specific doses for different types of cancers.
Low-temperature plasma may also help with a host of other unmanageable diseases and drug-resistant bacterial infections. One hope is that it can be used to curb the plaques that prompt Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
Of course, it's not widely available yet and has to jump through a bunch of regulatory hoops. Fortunately, it doesn't appear to have long-term side effects.
At the very least, it tells us we need to find out more about how plasma prompts cell death. The complexities of different cancers make it hard to come up with effective treatments. But if the cold plasma route is as effective as some researchers think it could be, all that's left is to work out specific doses for different types of cancers.
References
"Dose-dependent killing of leukemia cells by low-temperature plasma." N Barekzi and M Laroussi. Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, Vol 45, Num 42.
http://iopscience.iop.org/
"Childhood Blood Cancers: Leukemia Incidence." Leukemia & Lymphoma Society: Disease Information & Support.
http://www.lls.org/
childhoodbloodcancers/
"Leukemia-Killing Plasma Beam Could Offer New Cancer Treatments." By Halleh B. Balch, Inside Science News Service Contributor. 29 Nov 2012.
http://www.insidescience.org/
"Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects." National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health.
http://www.cancer.gov/
"Targeting the cancer cell cycle by cold atmospheric plasma." By O. Volotskova, et al. Scientific Reports 2, Article number 636. Pub 6 Sept 2012.
http://www.nature.com/srep/
