Announcing a Special Issue of the IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science
on Nonthermal Medical/Biological Applications Using
Ionized Gases and Electromagnetic Fields
(Scheduled for August 2008)

Successful applications of ionized gases and electromagnetic (both wideband and narrow band) exposures for tasks ranging from decontamination, sterilization and food preservation to cellular manipulation, field-assisted drug-delivery, and tissue engineering has presented new opportunities and innovative alternatives for biological, medical and environmental applications. The growing interest in this research area is evident from the dramatic increase in the number of contributed papers and presentations, and dedicated sessions at international conferences, such as the IEEE International Conferences on Pulsed Power and Plasma Science (PPPS), Bioelectromagnetics annual meeting (BEMS), the Biophysical Society conference, and the International Conference on Plasma Medicine (ICPM).

Special issues of the IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science devoted to this topic of “Nonthermal Medical/Biological Applications Using Ionized Gases and Electromagnetic Fields” were published in previous years (2002, 2004, and 2006). The brought together scientists, engineers and practitioners from the medical communities with expertise in such diverse fields as physics, cell and molecular biology, medicine, electrical and biomedical engineering, microbiology, plasma science and environmental engineering.  The intent of this upcoming special issue is to continue to provide an opportunity and avenue for publication of new results, developments, methods and concepts in this exciting, interdisciplinary research area to a wide audience.

Given the rapid developments in this field, submissions on topics covered at conferences such as PPPS 2007, BEMS 2007, and ICPM 2007, reflecting the state-of-the-art, are encouraged. Other contributions, not previously covered in the above conferences, are also solicited. Submissions relating to the following general topics and areas are invited for this upcoming Special Issue:

• Electroporation and its medical applications
• Biological decontamination (pulsed electric fields, microwaves, ultraviolet radiation, and other methods)
• Interactions of high frequency electromagnetic fields with biological systems
• Pulsed microwave- and milli-meter wave induced bio-effects
• Interactions of non-thermal plasmas with microorganisms and biological tissues
• Plasma-aided sterilization, blood clotting, and biomedical applications of cold plasmas
• Direct plasma applications in medicine for the treatment of diseases
• Modeling and simulation pertaining to bio-physics, bio-medical engineering, cellular and tissue interactions with plasmas and electric field, and medical bio-chemistry.
  
  

All contributions should reach the Guest Editors by October 15, 2007. Detailed instructions for authors can be found inside the back cover of the IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science and on the website: http://www.ieee.org/pubs/authors.html Submissions are through Manuscript CentralTM (http://tps-ieee.manuscriptcentral.com), and the journal standard polices (including page charges and reprints) will apply. Additional information can be found at http://ieeetps.org. Authors may seek additional information by contacting any one of the following Guest Editors: