Plasma medicine finds many applications, e.g., sterilisation and decontamination, wound healing, as well as cancer treatment, which is the application we focus on. In collaboration with CORE (E. Smits, Faculty of Medicine and Health Care), we perform plasma treatment on various cancer types, including melanoma, glioblastoma, pancreatic cancer and head and neck cancer. We perform in-vitro experiments in 2D cell cultures, but especially in 3D models, that are closer to real tumors, like spheroids and organoids, as well as the in-ovo model, and we also perform in-vivo experiments. Our main focus is on plasma-onco-immunotherapy. We also develop chemical kinetics and fluid dynamics models, to elucidate which plasma species are important for biomedical applications, i.e., mainly reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS). Finally, we also study the interaction of RONS with various components in human cells, like DNA, proteins, and phospholipids in the plasma membrane of cells, as well as the effects of plasma oxidation on the function and structure of various proteins, important for cancer treatment, including immunotherapy.
Key publications
Plasma-treated hydrogel for combined RONS and chemotherapy delivery: A proof-of-concept in ovo.
M. Živanic, A. Espona-Noguera, A. Privat Maldonado, P. Matušu, F. Tampieri, M.-P. Ginebra, A. Lin, E. Smits, A. Bogaerts and C. Canal
Dose-dependent induction of epithelial-mesenchymal transition in 3D melanoma models by non-thermal plasma treatment.
E. Biscop, E. Cardenas De La Hoz, H. Verswyvel, J. De Backer, H.W. Lau, A. Privat-Maldonado, W. Vanden Berghe, S. Vanlanduit, E. Smits, A. Bogaerts and A. Lin
Effect of plasma-induced oxidation on NK cell immune checkpoint ligands: A computational-experimental approach.
P. Heirman, H. Verswyvel, M. Bauwens, M. Yusupov, J. De Waele, A. Lin, E. Smits and A. Bogaerts
Characterization of regulated cancer cell death pathways induced by the different modalities of non-thermal plasma treatment.
E. Biscop, J. Baroen, J. De Backer, W. Vanden Berghe, E. Smits, A. Bogaerts and A. Lin
and
Injectable plasma-treated alginate hydrogel for oxidative stress delivery to induce immunogenic cell death in osteosarcoma.
M. Živanic, A. Espona-Noguera, H. Verswyvel, E. Smits, A. Bogaerts, A. Lin and C. Canal
Inactivation of SARS-CoV‑2 and other enveloped and non-enveloped viruses with non-thermal plasma for hospital disinfection.
M. Sahun, A. Privat-Maldonado, A. Lin, N. De Roeck, L. Van der Heyden, M. Hillen, J. Michiels, G. Steenackers, E. Smits, K.K. Ariën, P.G. Jorens, P. Delputte, and A. Bogaerts
The pro- and anti-tumoral properties of gap junctions in cancer and their role in therapeutic strategies.
M.C. Oliveira, H. Verswyvel, E. Smits, R.M. Cordeiro, A. Bogaerts and A. Lin
The effect of local non-thermal plasma therapy on the cancerimmunity cycle in a melanoma mouse model.
A. Lin, J. De Backer, D. Quatannens, B. Cuypers, H. Verswyvel, E. Cardenas De La Hoz, B. Ribbens, V. Siozopoulou, J. Van Audenaerde, E. Marcq, F. Lardon, K. Laukens, S. Vanlanduit, E. Smits and A. Bogaerts
and its .
Oxidative damage to hyaluronan–CD44 interactions as an underlying mechanism of action of oxidative stress-inducing cancer therapy.
M. Yusupov, A. Privat-Maldonado, R.M. Cordeiro, H. Verswyvel, P. Shaw, J. Razzokov, E. Smits and A. Bogaerts
Oxidation of innate immune checkpoint CD47 on cancer cells with non-thermal plasma.
A. Lin, J. Razzokov, H. Verswyvel, A. Privat-Maldonado, J. De Backer, M. Yusupov, E. Cardenas De La Hoz, P. Ponsaerts, E. Smits and A. Bogaerts
Critical evaluation of the interaction of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species with blood to inform the clinical translation of nonthermal plasma therapy.
A. Lin, E. Biscop, C. Breen, S.J. Butler, E. Smits and A. Bogaerts
Cold atmospheric plasma treatment for pancreatic cancer - The importance of pancreatic stellate cells.
R. Verloy, A. Privat-Maldonado, E. Smits and A. Bogaerts
Influence of cell type and culture medium on determining cancer selectivity of cold atmospheric plasma treatment.
E. Biscop, A. Lin, W. Van Boxem, J. Van Loenhout, J. De Backer, C. Deben, S. Dewilde, E. Smits, and A. Bogaerts
Non-thermal plasma as a unique delivery system of short-Lived reactive oxygen and nitrogen species for immunogenic cell death in melanoma cells.
A. Lin, Y. Gorbanev, J. De Backer, J. Van Loenhout, W. Van Boxem, F. Lemière, P. Cos, S. Dewilde, E, Smits and A. Bogaerts
Reduction of human glioblastoma spheroids using cold atmospheric plasma: The combined effect of short- and long-lived reactive species.
A. Privat-Maldonado, Y. Gorbanev, S. Dewilde, E. Smits and A. Bogaerts
Transport and accumulation of plasma generated species in aqueous solution.
C.C.W. Verlackt, W. Van Boxem and A. Bogaerts
Anti-cancer capacity of plasma-treated PBS: effect of chemical composition on cancer cell cytotoxicity.
W. Van Boxem, J. Van der Paal, Y. Gorbanev, S. Vanuytsel, E. Smits, S. Dewilde and A. Bogaerts
including its supplementary information.
Synergistic effect of electric field and lipid oxidation on the permeability of cell membranes.
M. Yusupov, J. Van der Paal, E.C. Neyts and A. Bogaerts
Hampering effect of cholesterol on the permeation of reactive oxygen species through phospholipids bilayer: possible explanation for plasma cancer selectivity.
J. Van der Paal, C. Verheyen, E.C. Neyts and A. Bogaerts
and its .
Effect of lipid peroxidation on membrane permeability of cancer and normal cells subjected to oxidative stress.
J. Van der Paal, E.C. Neyts, C.C.W. Verlackt and A. Bogaerts
Multi-level molecular modelling for plasma medicine.
A. Bogaerts, N. Khosravian, J. Van der Paal, C.C.W. Verlackt, M. Yusupov, B. Kamaraj and E.C. Neyts
Reaction pathways of biomedically active species in an Ar plasma jet.
W. Van Gaens and A. Bogaerts
(Selected by the editors of Plasma Sources Science and Technology as one of the “Highlights of 2014")
Atomic-scale simulations of reactive oxygen plasma species interacting with bacterial cell walls.
M. Yusupov, E.C. Neyts, U. Khalilov, R. Snoeckx, A.C.T. van Duin and A. Bogaerts
(Selected as one of the "IOPselect” publications)