Cervical cancer (CC) and other malignancies of the (female) genital tract, head and neck region are mainly caused due to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. CC is the fourth most common cancer for women worldwide. Current treatments of HPV-induced precancerous lesions (known as Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia “CIN”) are highly invasive and there is a need to develop new therapeutic approaches.
Noninvasive physical plasma (NIPP) is an ionized gas containing a complex mixture of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS). Those species induce an oxidative stress, for which healthy cells have a better tolerance compared to microorganisms such as viruses, fungi or bacteria as well as cancer cells.
In this project, the promising antiviral and antineoplastic NIPP effects will be first characterized in relevant and advanced tissue models (2D and 3D) and then transferred to plasma activated liquid (PAL) and plasma activated gel (PlAG).
