Irish woman wins award 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 cancer battle.

The James Dyson Award gives two inventors £30,000 for solutions to 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 worldwide, received nearly 2,000 entries this year.

This year’s winner in the medical category is 24-year-old designer Olivia Humphreys, from Limerick, and her invention Athena – an affordable and portable scalp-cooling device for patients going through chemotherapy.

The device is expected to be a fraction of the cost of existing technologies and can be carried around, meaning patients spend less time on hospital wards.

Around 65-99% of patients going through chemotherapy will be affected by chemo-induced hair loss.

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

Scalp cooling is available in eight hospitals in Ireland, but is expensive and can require additional hospital staff to fit 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, began losing her hair during her treatment.

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

“Following this, I focused on the product’s form, creating cardboard and foam models and determining functionality aspects and touchpoints to ensure the best user experience.

“Ultimately, I arrived at my final model, Athena, which was crafted using SolidWorks 3D CAD modelling.”

Battery-powered Athena, weighing around 3kg, consists of a carry case and a cooling headpiece that fits to different head shapes.

It works by using low-cost thermoelectric semiconductors called Peltiers, and these cool a tank of water which circulates the cold water around the head with the smartly-designed headpiece.

At full power, it can run for 3.5 hours, allowing the patient to commute to and from the hospital while cooling, and move around during infusion, such as for bathroom visits.

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

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 those living with an illness as serious as cancer.

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

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

“The recognition from the James Dyson Award validates not just my efforts, but also the stories and insights shared by people who’ve experienced cancer treatment.

“My mum inspired this journey, and it’s incredibly emotional and rewarding to have my project reach this level.

“The award has motivated me to recognise 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 haven’t 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 you have to do in special facilities, but these aren’t always available, are costly and it’s very painful.

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

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