ElectroMed 2005 Symposium
May 15-18, 2005
Portland, OR
Background:
Recent advances in the generation of ultrashort pulses of electrical power have opened new venues in the field of bioelectrics, bioelectrochemistry, and electrophysiology. Electrical pulses with duration down to less than one billionth of a second allow us to explore and utilize electrical interactions with biological cells and tissue. The high frequency components in the ultrashort pulses have been shown to provide a pathway to the interior of cells. Fundamental studies of high voltage field interaction with the interior of cells. Fundamental studies of high voltage field interaction with the biological cells and the corresponding cellular response to these electrical stimuli have prompted broad interests from engineers and scientists for both sensing and detection as well as manipulation and control of the biological systems for modification of cell structures and destruction of biological cells for sterilization and decontamination purposes.
As an example, non-equilibrium atmospheric pressure plasmas have recently been playing the role of an enabling technology in several industries. Amongst the novel applications, the use of atmospheric pressure “cold” plasmas in the biomedical field is experiencing a heightened interest from both the plasma science research community and the biomedical research community. This is due to the relatively recent application of these plasmas in promising medical applications such as wound healing, tissue engineering, surface modification of bio-compatible materials, and the sterilization of reusable heat-sensitive medical instruments. As more knowledge is gained on the interaction of plasmas with biological matter, plasma-based techniques will potentially become well established and the use of plasma in medical procedures will become universally accepted.
The recent findings and technological advances in this area have previously been communicated every two years in ElectroMed ’99, ElectroMed 2001, and ElectroMed 2003. A fourth international symposium on the “Non-thermal Medical and Biological Treatments using Electromagnetics Fields and Ionized Gases,” ElectroMed 2005, is scheduled to take place on May 15-18, 2005 in Portland, Oregon. Abstracts and presentations are currently solicited in, but not restricted to, the following areas:
Ø Application of electric fields for medical diagnostics and devices
Ø Bioeffects of pulsed microwaves, millimeter waves, and nonthermal plasmas
Ø Biological decontamination by pulsed electric fields
Ø Plasma-based sterilization
Ø Biomedical application of plasmas
Ø Biophysical modeling and simulations
Ø Electrobiochemcial and electrobiochemiluminescent sensing
Ø Electrobiomemetics
Ø Diagnostics and imaging techniques
Ø Effects of gene and protein extraction and expression
Ø Electroporation of cells and tissues and their application