Method and system of using plasma discharge tube for sensitization of cancer cells

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12458809-B2
Application number	US-202017620032-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 9, 2020
Priority date	Jul 11, 2019
Publication date	Nov 4, 2025
Grant date	Nov 4, 2025

Abstract

A method and system of sensitization of cancerous cells in a volume is disclosed. A plasma tube including a pair of electrodes coupled to a power supply is provided. The plasma tube generates a plasma jet between the electrodes. A controller is coupled to a power supply to control a discharge voltage to the electrodes to generate the plasma jet and direct an electro-magnetic field at the volume having cancerous cells and normal cells for a sufficient time to sensitize the cancer cells. A treatment device applies a treatment such as TMZ to the sensitized cancer cells after the cancer cells are sensitized by the electro-magnetic field.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system for sensitization of cancerous cells in a volume including normal cells and the cancerous cells, comprising:
a power supply; a plasma tube sealed on opposite ends including a pair of electrodes coupled to the power supply, the plasma tube generating a plasma jet between the electrodes; and a controller coupled to the power supply to control a discharge voltage to the electrodes to generate the plasma jet and direct an electro-magnetic field at the volume having cancerous cells and normal cells for a sufficient time to sensitize the cancerous cells.

2 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a frequency generator coupled to the power supply and the electrodes through a power switch, the frequency generator operable to control the power switch at a discharge frequency, and wherein the electro-magnetic field is a pulsed electro-magnetic field.

3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the controller is operative to change the discharge voltage between 2 and 10 kV or change the discharge frequency between 10-50 KHz generating the plasma jet in the plasma tube.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the cancerous cells are one of brain cancer cells, breast cancer cells, pancreatic cancer cells, skin cancer cells, bladder cancer cells, colon cancer cells, or lung cancer cells.

5 . The system of claim 1 further comprising a treatment system operable to apply a treatment to the sensitized cancerous cells after the cancerous cells are sensitized by the electro-magnetic field.

6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the treatment is one of applying an oxygen or a nitrogen reactive species, applying radiation, applying H2O2, or chemotherapy.

7 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the treatment is chemotherapy, and wherein the treatment system is operable to be adjusted to apply the treatment below a baseline level in response to the sensitized cancerous cells.

8 . A method of sensitizing cancerous cells in an area, the method comprising:
ionizing a gas in a tube sealed on both ends via supplying electrical power between an anode and a cathode to generate a cold atmospheric plasma jet; and directing an electro-magnetic field from the generated cold atmospheric plasma jet toward the area for a sufficient time to sensitize the cancerous cells.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the electro-magnetic field is pulsed at a pre-determined discharge frequency.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein a discharge voltage of the electro-magnetic field is between 2 and 10 kV and the discharge frequency is between 10-50 KHz.

11 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the sufficient time is greater than one minute.

12 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the cancerous cells are one of brain cancer cells, breast cancer cells, pancreatic cancer cells, skin cancer cells, bladder cancer cells, colon cancer cells, or lung cancer cells.

13 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising directing a treatment to the sensitized cancerous cells.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the treatment is one of application of an oxygen reactive species or a nitrogen reactive species, application of H2O2, or application of radiation.

15 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the treatment includes administration of a chemotherapeutic.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the chemotherapeutic is Temozolomide (TMZ).

17 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising reducing the treatment below a baseline level to account for the sensitized cancerous cells.

18 . A method of treating a cancer patient comprising:
selecting a cancer patient that has been treated by a first treatment from a system, wherein the system includes:
a power supply;
a plasma tube sealed on opposite ends including a pair of electrodes coupled to the power supply, the plasma tube generating a plasma jet between the electrodes; and
a controller coupled to the power supply to control a discharge voltage to the electrodes to generate the plasma jet and direct an electro-magnetic field at a volume having cancerous cells on the cancer patient for a sufficient time to sensitize the cancerous cells; and
administering an effective dose of a second treatment for cancer to the cancer patient.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the second treatment is one of: application of an oxygen reactive species or a nitrogen reactive species, application of H2O2, application of radiation, or administration of a chemotherapeutic.

20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the chemotherapeutic is Temozolomide (TMZ).

Assignees

• Univ George Washington

Inventors

• Keidar Michael
• Yan Dayun
• Yao Xiaoliang
• Lin Li
• Soni Vikas
• Sherman Jonathan

Classifications

• A61N5/10

  X-ray therapy; Gamma-ray therapy; Particle-irradiation therapy (A61N5/01 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61K31/495

  having six-membered rings with two {or more} nitrogen atoms as the only ring heteroatoms, e.g. piperazine {or tetrazines}(A61K31/48 takes precedence {; with three nitrogen atoms A61K31/53}) · CPC title

• A61B2018/00583

  Coblation, i.e. ablation using a cold plasma · CPC title

• A61B2018/00071

  Electrical conductivity · CPC title

• A61P35/00

  Antineoplastic agents · CPC title