Canady Helios Cold Plasma Induces Non-Thermal (24 °C), Non-Contact Irreversible Electroporation and Selective Tumor Cell Death at Surgical Margins

Saravana R. K. Murthy, Taisen Zhuang, Olivia Z. Jones, Yasmine Dakak, Michael Keidar, Aviram Nissan, and Jerome Canady. 

Residual tumor cells left behind after surgery are a major cause of cancer local recurrence. The Canady Helios Cold Plasma (CHCP) system is a novel non-thermal (24 ◦C), non-contact technology that generates plasma electromagnetic fields capable of selectively killing cancer cells while sparing surrounding normal tissue. In this study, we demonstrate that CHCP induces irreversible electroporation (IRE), a process that disrupts tumor cell membranes and enables entry of molecules such as dyes and therapeutic siRNAs. Using multiple breast cancer cell lines, CHCP was shown to cause voltage- and time-dependent membrane permeabilization, leading to cell death and loss of tumor-forming ability. Importantly, analysis of tumor margin specimens from our Phase I clinical trial (NCT04267575) confirmed that CHCP effectively killed tumor cells while preserving adjacent healthy tissue. These findings highlight CHCP as the first plasma-based IRE platform to induce selective tumor cell death at the surgical margins, thus reducing local recurrence and improving survival outcomes for patients after surgical resection of solid tumors.