Non-thermal Plasma Probe for Inflammatory Bowel Disorder Treatment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current therapies for inflammatory bowel disorders like Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's disease are limited in effectively targeting the inflammatory cascade and stabilizing the immune response, with existing treatments often failing to adequately address the inflammation and tissue damage in the colon.
Innovation Solution
The use of non-thermal plasma, generated by a probe placed proximate to the treatment site, to apply a controlled and directed treatment that can be used alone or in conjunction with drugs like 5-Amino-Salicylic Acid, to reduce inflammation and promote healing in the colon without causing tissue damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional therapies (sulfasalazine, corticosteroids, immunosuppressive drugs) are used to treat inflammatory bowel disorders, then the disease can be controlled to some extent, but the treatments fail to adequately address the inflammatory cascade and stabilize the immune response, leading to insufficient reduction of inflammation and tissue damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional pharmacological therapy with a physical therapy modality - non-thermal plasma treatment. This substitution introduces a new mechanism of action that directly modulates the inflammatory cascade and immune response through controlled plasma application, bypassing the limitations of drug-based therapies and achieving more effective inflammation control and tissue damage reduction
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes non-thermal plasma with specifically controlled parameters (temperature, power density, treatment duration) to achieve therapeutic effects. By precisely controlling these physical parameters, the treatment can effectively reduce inflammation and promote tissue repair without causing additional thermal damage to the intestinal tissue
2Object-affected harmful factors
If non-thermal plasma is applied to treat inflammatory bowel disorders, then inflammation is reduced and tissue repair is promoted, but there is a risk of causing tissue damage if not properly controlled
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamic control of plasma treatment parameters including pulsed application modes, variable power density, and adjustable treatment duration. This dynamic approach allows the treatment to adapt to different tissue responses and disease severities, maximizing anti-inflammatory effects while minimizing the risk of tissue damage through real-time parameter adjustment
Solution Approach 2:
The patent carefully controls critical plasma parameters (temperature maintained below thermal damage thresholds, power density, exposure time) to achieve the therapeutic window. By optimizing these parameters, the treatment delivers sufficient energy to reduce inflammation and promote repair while staying below the threshold that would cause thermal or mechanical tissue damage
3Reliability
If longer plasma treatment duration is used, then more effective reduction of disease activity is achieved, but the risk of tissue damage and treatment complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes pulsed plasma application rather than continuous treatment. The periodic on-off cycles allow therapeutic effects to accumulate while providing rest periods for tissue recovery, reducing the risk of cumulative damage. This periodic approach achieves effective disease activity reduction through multiple short treatment sessions rather than one prolonged exposure
Solution Approach 2:
The patent achieves sustained therapeutic effect through multiple treatment sessions that maintain continuous beneficial action on the inflammatory process. Rather than requiring a single long treatment, the protocol uses repeated shorter applications that continuously suppress inflammation and promote repair over time, achieving cumulative therapeutic benefit without excessive single-session duration
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Non-thermal plasma effectively reduces the severity of inflammatory bowel disorders by inhibiting pro-inflammatory mediators and promoting tissue repair, as demonstrated by reduced Disease Activity Index scores and minimal tissue damage in animal models, with optimal results achieved using a 30-second plasma pulse.
Implementation Method 1
The use of non-thermal plasma, generated by a probe placed proximate to the treatment site, to apply a controlled and directed treatment
Data Source
AI summary
Non-thermal plasma is a partly ionized gas, which can be generated by a high-voltage electric field at a low pressure. Disclosed herein are apparatuses and methods for treating an enteric disease in vivo using non-thermal plasma. The disclosed apparatuses have a first conduit comprising a lumen and a tip; a first electrode disposed within the lumen of the first conduit; a second electrode comprised of a metal conduit disposed within the first conduit; an insulator disposed within the lumen of the first conduit, the insulator configured to electrically insulate the first electrode from the second electrode; and a gas channel disposed between the outer surface of the metal conduit and the inner surface of the first conduit, the gas channel being capable of feeding a gas from a gas source to the tip, wherein when the potential is applied, the gas is ionized to produce the non-thermal plasma.