Plasma in a bag

Plastic bags coated by plasma at atmospheric pressure serve as a GMP laboratory for the cultivation of adherent cells. The plasma is used to modify the internal surface of the bag specifically, so that different cell types can grow on it.

To achieve this, ordinary bags such as those used for infusions are filled with a noble gas and voltage is applied. “This produces plasma inside the bag for a short period – a luminous, ionized gas that chemically alters and at the same time disinfects the surface of the plastic,” explains Dr. Kristina Lachmann from Fraunhofer IST. Bags were coated in a pilot plant at Fraunhofer IST, and then tests were carried out at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research and Braunschweig Municipal Hospital to determine which coating is best suited for which type of cell. “We work with stem cells for bones, cartilage, fat, and nerves – the coating can be optimized for each of these cell types,” says Dr. Kurt Dittmar.

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