Investigation of Blood Cancer Cell Behavior under Complex Physiological Flows and Cold Atmospheric Plasma

Blood cancers are diagnosed every 3 minutes and claim a life every 9 minutes in the US, adversely impacting human health and incurring significant economic costs. A multi-scale experiment examines how blood flow influences the behavior of blood cancer cells. A small-scale bioreactor is designed with realistic hemodynamics and flow conditions to test the effects of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) treatments. Using a programmable pump that simulates human blood flow—with pressure and flow sensors, along with real-time diagnostics and CAP jet integration— we explore the behavior of blood cancer cells under physiological flow conditions. The study considers the effects of complex wall shear stress and vortical structures that arise in parts of the vasculature and blood cancer cell responses. Following CAP treatment, cells will be analyzed using imaging, flow cytometry, and viability and DNA damage assays. The objective is to correlate changes in cellular growth and metastasis to flow conditions typical of blood flow and to assess CAP’s effects on blood cancer cells, ultimately exploring its potential as a therapy. The findings will help clarify how hemodynamic conditions facilitate cancer cell migration and invasion into distant tissues, highlighting the potential of cold atmospheric plasma as a treatment modality.