Cold atmospheric plasma for neural regeneration

In small amounts, reactive oxygen species that are otherwise deleterious to tissue can promote growth, regeneration, and longevity. This phenomenon could be harnessed to improve the outcome of traumatic brain or spinal cord injury. Our goal is to identify plasma bioactive properties and dose that promotes neuronal regeneration. We use precise Yb-doped fiber laser microsurgery to cut a single axon without collateral damage, in an otherwise intact animal and test for neuronal regeneration and for recovery of locomotion behavior with and without plasma treatment with different plasma exposure duration and composition.

We use the nematode C. elegans that is a model system in many fields of biology; it is transparent with fully mapped genome and neuronal connectome. Because C. elegans axon guidance involves conserved pathways as in vertebrates, it is an ideal model to study factors affecting axon regeneration. Our system allows us to address questions about the mechanism of action of plasma at molecular, cellular, and neural network levels, with available mutant strains and the transgenic manipulations we can perform. Further, we use genetically encoded fluorescent biosensors to measure changes of redox state and reactive oxygen species in live animals.