From the crystal ball to the podiatry practice: the history of cold plasma

Cold plasma is one of the most interesting areas of innovation in modern medical technology. With the RUCK ViroCap Cold Plasma, this pioneering technology is now also available for use in podiatry practices. The roots of this development go back much further than one might expect. A look back at its history shows that cold plasma is not a short-lived fad, but the result of more than 300 years of physical research.

As early as 1700, physicists were experimenting with electrical luminous phenomena in evacuated glass spheres – the first observations of what we now know as plasma. In the 19th century, the British scientist Michael Faraday conducted extensive research into electrical discharges, gaining important insights into the properties of ionised gases. Faraday also posed a question that continues to resonate today: 

“Besides solid, liquid and gas, is there a fourth state of matter?”

The answer is: yes – plasma, an ionised gas including free electrons and charged particles. Plasma is now recognised as the fourth state of matter and makes up the majority of visible matter in the universe: the Sun, lightning and the Northern Lights all make up part of plasma.

One of the first technical applications of plasma can be traced back to Werner von Siemens, who in 1857 developed an ozoniser to produce ozone thanks to electrical discharge. Further milestones followed in the 20th century – from the fluorescent tube to the plasma display.

All these early applications demonstrated the great potential of plasma: it could be precisely controlled and made it possible to generate highly reactive chemical particles and modify materials in a targeted manner, without having to rely on conventional chemical processes. What was still missing was the ability to generate this reactivity at temperatures that would not damage living tissue.

As early as the early 20th century, there were initial indications that electrical discharges and ionised gases had an antimicrobial effect . However, a crucial prerequisite for medical applications in people was missing: the plasma had to be effective without damaging tissue thanks to high temperatures.

The crucial breakthrough came towards the end of the 20th century: researchers succeeded in generating so-called cold plasma, which stays highly reactive despite its low temperatures. With this process, reactive oxygen and nitrogen species are formed that inactivate bacteria, viruses and fungi without damaging healthy tissue.

Pioneering work was carried out throughout the 1990s and 2000s alongside many others with the research group led by Prof. Gary Friedman at Drexel University in the USA, which was one of the first to systematically investigate the effect of plasma on human skin. This revealed a clear link between plasma’s germ-reducing effect and improved wound healing – marking the birth of modern plasma medicine.

It is also interesting to take a detour via space exploration: Max Planck researchers conducted experiments with cold plasma on the International Space Station (ISS), originally as part of basic research into plasma crystals under microgravity. This research yielded important insights that were later incorporated into the further development of plasma technology.

From wound therapy to podiatry

The first clinically established directions for the use of cold plasma focused primarily on the treatment of chronic wounds, such as those associated with diabetic foot syndrome or leg ulcers. Another key area was the fight against multi-resistant bacteria such as MRSA.

Since 2013, certified medical plasma jets have been in clinical use for the treatment of chronic wounds and skin conditions. Numerous studies have investigated and confirmed the antimicrobial properties of cold plasma, along with its potential to support healing processes.

Targeted research into cold plasma for the treatment of fungal infections constitutes a separate, more recent chapter in this story. It has long been known amongst researchers that fungal cells are sensitive to oxidative stress. Yet the treatment of nail fungus presents an especially difficult challenge, as conventional antifungal agents often penetrate the dense nail plate only to a limited extent, meaning that treatment can drag on for many months.

With the development of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP), this approach was investigated in greater depth: research groups analysed the effect of cold plasma on dermatophytes such as Trichophyton rubrum, one of the most common causative agents of onychomycosis, and have performed initial clinical pilot studies on the directions for use due to nail fungus.

Since then, cold plasma has increasingly proven its worth as a complementary treatment option – particularly for treatment-resistant fungal infections or for patients who have difficulty tolerating conventional antifungal medicines. What once proceeded with glowing glass spheres in physics is now a targeted technology that can assist podiatrists in treating stubborn fungal infections.

This is exactly where the RUCK ViroCap cold plasma device sets in. It makes the possibilities of modern cold plasma technology accessible to podiatry practices and brings decades of research and medical development into the day-to-day practice of podiatrists and foot care professionals.

Find out more about the RUCK ViroCap

Would you like to find out more about how cold plasma works? In our article “How cold plasma works”, we explain the physical principles and practical applications in detail.

^{Sources: including the German Physical Society (DPG), Wikipedia “Plasma medicine”, wissenschaft.de
Image sources: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Public Domain, Portrait of Michael Faraday, c. 1852, @NASA-iss066e085461, 2 December 2021 (nasa.gov)}