Plasma in Medical Engineering – Made in Regensburg
Relyon Plasma GmbH, an enterprise of the Regensburg Bioregion, has been active since 2002 in plasma technology, one of the key technologies of the future. Relyon Plasma acquired a strong partner in 2018 in innovative cold plasma technology – the TDK subsidiary EPCOS AG as a shareholder. If it has to do with plasma scientists often talk about four aggregate states – in addition to semisolid, fluid and gaseous. Plasma discharges occur in nature e.g. in the Northern Lights. The first use of technical plasma was in the acquisition of ozone from electronic discharge or in light technology (fluorescent tubes). Today plasma technology is in the process of fundamentally revolutionizing its application in the hygiene field and in the medical engineering, based on its sterilizing and disinfecting effect without the use of additional chemicals. With so-called PDD -technology (piezoelectric direct discharge) it is possible for example to effectively neutralize methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), rated as absolutely critical, without the use of antibiotics.
Plasma can optimize the surfaces of medical engineering materials to such a degree that they facilitate good adhesiveness or biocompatibility and thereby the acceptance of the surrounding living tissue. This technology has therefore been used for many years in the functionality of implants in dentistry. Here the surface is cleaned, the implant sterilized and therefore the risk of infection minimalized. Concurrently the surface energy of the implant is increased through which wettability is improved, the positioning of cells on the surface is increased and the healing process is sped up. A further application for the use of plasma technology in the medical field is the dermatological treatment of wounds, skin disease or infections. Cold plasma has its effect here in a complex manner: via UV radiation, reactive compounds and electrical fields. The interplay of these factors substantially slows down the growth of bacteria, which speeds up healing. To make the bacterial and odor reducing effect of plasma useful on an individual basis Relyon Plasma has developed a special ionization module that can be integrated into the most different equipment such as rubbish collection or shelving systems. An example in practice is a special rubbish collection system which is being developed for clinical purposes. Here the ionization module is integrated into the lid and automatically streams out active oxygen, which via the principle of electrical discharge then neutralizes odors and molds up to 99 percent.
At the Medical Technology Trade Fair LIVE in Nuremberg (21st to 23rd May 2019) Relyon Plasma from Regensburg will be presenting at Stand No. 451 in Hall 9 trends and developments in the field of plasma technology in medical engineering. The BioPark will be represented at Stand No. 344 in Hall 10 with a shared stand with its Project Healthcare Regensburg together with RAS AG, TriOptoTec GmbH, Multi-Service-Monitoring and the Regensburg Center of Health Sciences and Technology (RCHST).