Irish woman wins prize for invention to help cancer patients prevent hair loss

An Irish woman has won an award for her invention to help patients prevent hair loss during chemotherapy, inspired by her own mother’s battle with cancer.

The James Dyson Award gives two inventors £30,000 to solve problems of global importance in medicine and sustainability.

The international student design competition, which has supported more than 400 inventions from young engineers and scientists around the world, received almost 2,000 entries this year.

The device is expected to cost a fraction of the cost of existing technologies and can be portable, helping patients spend less time in hospital wards.

Approximately 65-99% of patients undergoing chemotherapy will experience chemo-induced hair loss.

Cooling the scalp before, during and after chemotherapy can reduce hair loss and help hair grow faster and stronger, but it can be painful for patients and is limited due to its extremely high cost.

Scalp cooling is available in eight hospitals in Ireland, but is expensive and may require additional hospital staff to adjust the equipment and keep patients in hospital for longer.

Ms Humphreys came up with her thermoelectric invention after her mother Vicky, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2019, started losing her hair during treatment.

Ms Humphreys said: “Using a Peltier computer cooling fan system, a diaphragm pump, my mother’s old suitcase and my father’s aircraft battery, I was able to create a strong proof of concept and gather valuable feedback to develop the concept.

“After this, I focused on the shape of the product, creating cardboard and foam models and determining functionality aspects and touchpoints to ensure the best user experience.

The battery-powered Athena, which weighs approximately 3kg, consists of a carrying case and a cooling headpiece that fits a variety of head shapes.

It works using cheap thermoelectric semiconductors called Peltiers and these cool a water tank that circulates the cold water around the head with the cleverly designed headpiece.

At full power it can operate for 3.5 hours, allowing the patient to commute to and from the hospital while cooling down, and to move around during the infusion, for example when visiting the toilet.

The estimated cost for Athena would be around €1,000, Ms Humphreys said, which is significantly less than alternatives that start at around €20,000.

Naming the device after Athena, a powerful Greek goddess of wisdom and battle strategy, is a symbol of resilience for Ms. Humphreys – and a quality seen in people living with a disease as serious as cancer.

Ms Humphreys said her mother inspired her creation and said she is proud of the award.

“I am incredibly proud of the hard work, ambition and dedication that went into creating Athena,” she said.

“My mother has inspired this journey, and it is incredibly emotional and rewarding to have my project reach this level.

“The award has motivated me to recognize my potential, and it opens up exciting opportunities for me as a young designer and innovator.”

Dyson founder James Dyson said the invention has the potential to make a real difference.

He said: “I have not had cancer but members of my family have had cancer and hair loss is a particularly depressing and debilitating part of chemotherapy treatment.

“You can freeze your scalp, which must be done in special facilities, but these are not always available, expensive and very painful.

“This year’s medical winner, Olivia Humphreys, has tackled this problem by designing Athena, for wearable scalp cooling.

“You can wear it while you travel, you can wear it in the car to and from the hospital, you can use it at home – it’s a low-cost alternative available to everyone, with the potential to make a real difference.”