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12.02.2026 10:00
Cold Plasma Effectively Targets Adenoviruses
Greifswald, February 12, 2026 – Medical gas plasma can rapidly deactivate adenoviruses, according to a new laboratory study from the Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP). Importantly, the plasma primarily attacks the outer protein shell of the viruses, with no significant changes observed in the viral genetic material. These findings help to better understand how plasma works and could further develop potential applications in hygiene and medicine.
Lab Tests Show Significant Reduction in Infectivity
Adenoviruses are resilient pathogens capable of causing common colds, conjunctivitis, and gastrointestinal infections, and can survive for extended periods on surfaces. In the experiments, researchers utilized a specialized argon plasma jet, similar to those used in plasma medicine. The results demonstrated that the longer viruses were exposed to the plasma, the less able they were to infect cells. After just 90 seconds of plasma treatment, their infectivity in cell cultures was reduced by approximately 96 percent.
Chemical Reactions, Not Destruction, are Key
The study similarly investigated the mechanism behind the plasma’s effectiveness. Researchers found that the viruses are not destroyed by heat or mechanical force. Instead, the plasma generates highly reactive oxygen and nitrogen compounds that act like microscopic chemical attackers. “The plasma doesn’t act randomly,” explained INP study leader Prof. Dr. Sander Bekeschus. “It specifically alters certain components of the viral envelope – precisely where the virus normally docks onto human cells.”
Targeting the Viral Envelope
Detailed analysis revealed that specific protein building blocks within the viral envelope were chemically altered. These building blocks are crucial for the virus’s stability and its ability to connect with human cells. Dr. Anke Schmidt, the study’s first author, explained, “The plasma primarily changes proteins that the virus needs to enter a cell. Without this ability, the virus can no longer cause an infection.” Electron microscope images visually confirmed these effects: the virus particles changed shape and shrank by an average of about 16 percent. The viruses’ genetic material, however, remained largely undamaged. Additional tests confirmed that these effects are due to the chemical action of the plasma.
Laying the Groundwork for Future Applications
The study is the first to precisely describe where medical gas plasma attacks adenoviruses. This knowledge provides a crucial foundation for further developing plasma technologies, such as for disinfecting surfaces or medical devices. Researchers emphasize that these results arrive from laboratory experiments. Before concrete applications are possible, further studies – including tests on infected lungs – are needed to confirm the effectiveness within organisms.
The study was published in the internationally recognized journal Small (DOI: 10.1002/smll.202511792).
Original publication:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/smll.202511792?af=R
Images
Laboratory experiments to combat adenoviruses with the medically approved argon plasma jet kINPen …
Copyright: INP
Dr. Anke Schmidt, first author of the study, during laboratory work on the effect of gas plasma on adenoviruses …
Copyright: INP
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