A device tackles chemotherapy hair loss

James Dyson Foundation

The low-cost technology can help cancer patients preserve their hair

Spotted: One of the side effects of chemotherapy that many people find particularly distressing is hair loss. This problem impacts around 65 per cent of those going through the treatment. Inspired by her mother’s experience, University of Limerick product design and technology graduate Olivia Humphreys has developed a medical device that can help cancer patients prevent hair loss.

Hair loss can be prevented by cooling the scalp, but many hospitals face a shortage of scalp-cooling machines. These need to be plugged in during use and generally require the patient to arrive 30 minutes early and stay for 90 minutes after treatment, prolonging their time in hospital.

To combat this, Humphreys has developed Athena, a low-cost, portable thermoelectric headpiece designed to limit blood flow to the scalp. This reduces the amount of chemotherapy medications that reach the head, in turn protecting hair follicles from the drugs and preventing hair loss. It can also run for 3.5 hours, allowing the patient to use the device outside the hospital.

Humphreys was recently announced as this year’s global winner of the 2024 James Dyson Award under the Medical Devices category, the first Irish winner of the global competition. The award comes with a £30,000 prize to help fund further research and development of her invention. In addition to the award, Humphreys is currently working with Galway-based company Luminate Medical on advancing Athena.

Written By: Lisa Magloff