Development of an atmospheric pressure non-thermal plasma needle for melanoma cell research

An atmospheric pressure non-thermal plasma needle has been developed to study the potential impact of plasma on melanoma cancer cells. The device operates at a frequency of 113 kHz with the plasma sustaining electrode at a potential of approximately 2.5 kV ac and a power less than 1.5 W. The plasma is generated by ionizing helium gas with flow rates in the range of 1-9.7 L/min. The plasma needle was applied to cultured metastatic 1205Lu melanoma cells as well as human primary keratinocytes (HEK) within an inverted microscope chamber. Time lapse photography was utilized to record cell death. Preliminary results show approximately a 5-fold killing effect of the melanoma cells as compared to keratinocytes.