A Luminate Medical does not treat cancer, but wants to reduce unwanted effects of cancer treatments. And for this he created a helmet and gloves for use in chemotherapy sessions. In tests, 75% of a small group of patients managed to reduce hair loss and neuropathies that lead to numbness and, in extreme cases, the inability to control their hands and feet. “In the near future, we will expand tests to various types of chemotherapy”, responds Bárbara Oliveira, director of Clinical Trials at Luminate. “The goal is to reach the US in early 2026.” Luminate started at the University of Galway in 2019 by Bárbara Oliveira, Aaron Hannon and Martin O’Halloran. After a grant and tests with patients from Eastern Europe, the Portuguese-Irish company, which has 30 professionals, secured 15 million dollars in investment. The USA appears as a priority — but the solution serves a large part of patients around the world, with restrictions. “These devices will not be available for skin cancers and blood cancers”, explains Bárbara Oliveira. Chemotherapy eliminates cancer cells, but it also “affects hair follicles and nervous system cells.” And the solution to these adverse effects arrived in the form of a balloon. Or rather, several balloons. Both helmets and gloves have compressors that inflate air cushions to press against the skin. This reduces the absorption of chemotherapy only on pressed surfaces. There have been projects that used cryogenics, but this option proved to be costly and “very uncomfortable”. On the other hand, the use of cryogenics made it possible to determine that the recurrence of cancer does not increase with a reduction in the absorption of chemotherapy in certain areas of the body. “When a patient loses their hair, other people quickly realize that they have cancer. It affects aesthetics, and has an impact on psychological health”, recalls Bárbara Oliveira. “If we reduce side effects on hands and feet, we can guarantee a better quality of life and, eventually, reduce visits to hospitals.” The business model involves sales to clinics and hospitals. “We want patients to use these solutions, even when they cannot afford them”, says Bárbara Oliveira.
