TEHRAN – The seventeenth cold plasma clinic in the country was inaugurated on Monday in the city of Rafsanjan, southeastern Kerman province, providing promising treatment for chronic wounds, diabetic ulcers, burns, and skin lesions under health insurance coverage.

Known as one of the world’s most innovative treatment methods, the non-thermal plasma therapy is highly effective in wound healing compared to traditional methods and ozone therapy. The treatment is performed on an outpatient basis, painlessly, without the need for anaesthesia, IRIB reported.

Cold atmospheric plasma has been shown to reduce microbial load without any known significant negative effects on healthy tissues. This issue should enhance its possible application to any microbial infection site. It has also been shown to have anti-tumour effects.

Based on the clinic protocols, patients are exposed to direct radiation for an average of 7 to 10 treatment sessions, usually twice a week, for about 20 minutes per session. Evidence and clinical findings indicate that the method is more than 70 percent effective in healing chronic wounds and skin lesions.

Iran is the fourth country to possess the technology, following Japan, South Korea, and Germany. Concerning the significance of integrating new technologies into the healthcare system, a trilateral memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed to promote the country’s status in the plasma medicine industry in August 2025.

The MOU was signed by Saeed Sarkar, an official with the Vice-Presidency for Science and Technology, Shahin Akhoundzadeh, an official with the Ministry of Health, and Mahdiyeh Bakhtiari, the CEO of the Plasma Therapy Knowledge-Based Company, IRNA reported.

The main objectives of the MOU are to develop and implement extensive multi-center research in plasma medicine, integrate the technology in the country’s official treatment protocols, as well as conduct projects that play an effective role in treating hard-to-cure diseases, improve health services, and provide access to advanced medical technologies.

The MOU represents the collaboration of the scientific, research, and technological capabilities of the country, a national movement towards the expansion of emerging technologies in the field of medicine.

First indigenous plasma therapy clinic

In April 2025, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), in cooperation with Jahrom University of Medical Sciences, southern Fars province, launched the first cold plasma therapy clinic for the treatment of wounds using indigenous technology.

During the opening ceremony, the AEOI head, Mohammad Eslami, associated the achievement with scientific progress and national self-confidence, highlighting that nuclear technology is used in medical services and agriculture.

“The inauguration of this clinic can help expand plasma therapy technology in other medical centers in the country,” the official noted.

The chancellor of Jahrom University of Medical Sciences, Hossein Hakimelahi, for his part, expressed hope that this initiative will open up opportunities to use nuclear technologies in cancer treatment and other areas of health.

On August 26,  Eslami said heavy water derivatives and plasma medicine are opening new frontiers in drug development and medical treatment, marking a major step in the application of nuclear technology to public health.

Eslami added that under a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Health, clinical trials that were previously concentrated at Tehran University will be expanded to selected universities across the country.

“This will accelerate the spread of plasma-based technologies to different provinces,” he said, “ensuring that all Iranians can benefit equally and simultaneously from these advances.”

The remarks came during ceremonies marking National Doctors Day, where Eslami also highlighted the AEOI’s success in producing more than 70 types of radiopharmaceuticals, now supplied to over 220 nuclear medicine centers across Iran and exported abroad.

These products, Eslami said, cover three categories: diagnostic, therapeutic, and palliative.

In the diagnostic field, advances are pushing “the frontiers of knowledge,” improving precision so doctors can better examine patients’ bodies. On the therapeutic side, he added, the focus is on easing patients’ suffering while providing more effective treatments.

Eslami revealed that around 20 additional radiopharmaceuticals are currently under research and in clinical trial phases, reflecting Iran’s growing capacity to integrate nuclear science into healthcare.

MT/MG