From biofilms to plasma: Cornell and Browning’s clean solution to a sticky problem

Jim Browning (left) and Ken Cornell (right) hold their Innovator Awards, presented by the Office of Technology Transfer (OTT).

Innovation usually starts with a handshake, and for Ken Cornell and Jim Browning, that handshake happened ten years ago. Cornell, a biochemist, studies biofilms, those stubborn, slimy fortresses that bacteria build to protect themselves. Browning, an electrical engineer, is an expert in plasma, the energetic fourth state of matter used to build the semiconductors inside our phones. Together, they have spent a decade perfecting what Browning describes as a kind of "controlled lightning bolt" that can shred a bacterial fortress in minutes.

The problem they are solving is a universal one: sticky, dangerous bacteria. In the medical world, these biofilms are the reason a bedsore or a diabetic foot ulcer won't heal; the slime around the bacteria, or biofilm, acts like a microscopic shield that antibiotics simply cannot penetrate. In our food supply, those same biofilms cling to industrial conveyor belts and pipes, leading to foodborne illnesses and massive waste.

Working from a lab at Boise State, the team developed a cold atmospheric pressure plasma array device that delivers plasma to a location such as a conveyor belt, or, for medical purposes, can be used on the skin.

The scaled-up 10cm x 10cm plasma array positioned over a conveyor belt, demonstrating its ability to treat moving targets like crop seeds in real-time.

Browning, drawing on his forty years of expertise, explained the process. "When you have gas, and you have electrons, an electric field will accelerate those electrons until they hit neutral gas," Browning said. "If they have the right energy, an electron gets knocked off, and you get a discharge, like a controlled lightning bolt that creates reactive species which wouldn't last very long in a liquid or a paste."

This supercharged air acts like a microscopic sandblaster. "This sandblaster creates molecules that physically etch through the protective biofilm while the device delivers nitric oxide, a signal for the body to grow new blood vessels and heal skin," Cornell said.

While the technology could eventually revolutionize wound clinics, the team is currently setting its sights on Idaho's $750 million seed industry. Southwest Idaho is a global leader in producing seeds for everything from popcorn to onions.

Cornell highlighted the practical advantages of working with seed. "We're developing technology that is practical, is going to be useful, and it adds essential economic value to our state," he said.

He noted that because the treatment is residue-free, it opens doors that chemicals often close. "Some of the seeds, you can't sell them to Japan, or the European Union," Cornell said, "because harsh antifungal coatings reduce their reach, and therefore their market value."

The next steps for this project are already in motion. Supported by Idaho State funding programs, The Idaho Global Entrepreneurial Mission and the Idaho State Department of Agriculture, the team has moved from tiny plasma scalpels on a robot to a 10 cm by 10 cm array designed to sanitize moving conveyor belts in real-time. This breakthrough is a win for science and a celebration of what happens when we step out of our specialized silos.

Cornell and Browning will be sharing their innovation at the inaugural event, Celebrating Innovations and Partnerships at the Junction. While the presentation has already reached capacity with a sold-out crowd, the enthusiasm highlights a growing community appetite for their work. The session marks a significant milestone for The Junction, the university's new physical home for these types of high-impact collaborations. For the Boise State community, this energy is just the beginning of what the new innovation hub will bring to the region, and for the life-changing work innovators like Cornell and Browning continue to bring to life.

Research using individual strengths can bring about tremendous innovation, but as Cornell and Browning have shown, sometimes, the most powerful solutions are born when a "biofilm guy" and a "plasma guy" decide to see what they can build together.

This material is based upon work supported by the Idaho Global Entrepreneurial Mission (IGEM) under award No. 26-002 and the Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) under award No. 210SPECRP23PRD. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Idaho Global Entrepreneurial Mission and the Idaho State Department of Agriculture. This research was supported in the past by National Institutes of Health award No. 1R21EB031257 and U.S. Department of Agriculture NIFA grant award No. 2020-67018-30789.

Contact the Division of Research and Economic Development for new award information.

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