Pioneering scalp cooling research from India, Ireland and Italy will be presented at this year’s ESMO Congress 2019 (European Society for Medical Oncology) taking place in Barcelona, Spain, from 27th September – 1st October.

Research teams from the three hospitals, who have all used British developed Paxman Scalp Cooling Systems, will present their personal findings at the international exhibition to help raise awareness of the treatment and its clinical efficacy

ESMO 2019 is a global stage for excellence in translational research, presentation of practice-changing data and multidisciplinary discussions. The exhibition attracts clinicians, researchers, patient advocates, and the pharmaceutical industry from all over the world keen to learn about the latest advances in oncology, translating science into better cancer patient care.

The abstract presentations include:

The uptake, patient satisfaction and efficacy of scalp cooling among patients receiving chemotherapy in an Irish oncology day ward. Speaker: William Maher (Cork, Ireland)

Scalp cooler is effective in reducing chemotherapy-induced alopecia among breast cancer patients: a single institution experience. Speaker: Emilia Gianotti (Carpi, Italy)

Randomised controlled trial of Scalp Cooling (SC) for the prevention of Chemotherapy Induced Alopecia (CIA). Speaker: Jyoti Bajpai (Mumbai, India)

Speaking about her research Dr Bajpai, Professor in Medical Oncology from Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, India, said: “Hair loss is a well-known side effect of many chemotherapy regimens, with many of our patients reporting it to be the most traumatic aspect of their treatment. There are also culturally many misconceptions and stigma attached to hair loss, for example one woman patient from Uttar Pradesh was thrown out of her house by her husband and in-laws because of her baldness. Her teenaged daughters were also asked to leave with her. The family considered her disease and baldness to be an outcome of past sins. The fear of cancer becomes secondary and the fact that they will lose hair during treatment takes centre stage.”

The Paxman Scalp Cooling System is available at a large number of cancer centres in Europe, North- and South America, Asia and Australia. With close to 3,500 delivered systems to over 40 countries, Paxman has established itself as the leading player in its field. The award-winning technology is Shonin, Ninsho and FDA cleared and is proven to help cancer patients keep their hair during chemotherapy treatment.

CEO Richard Paxman added: “We are delighted that real-life data and research from around the globe will be presented at ESMO by a number of leading clinicians. There have been a number of significant steps recently that have helped bring scalp cooling to the forefront of people’s minds, and research presentations like these continue this education and awareness-building. It is an exciting time for scalp cooling, and we are delighted to be part of it.”

Scalp cooling provides the only real alternative to hair loss, resulting in a high level of retention or even complete hair preservation, improving patients’ self-confidence and creating positive attitudes towards treatment.

To find out more, visit the Paxman team at ESMO booth number 418.

About Paxman
The Paxman Scalp Cooling System has been developed by the Paxman family to reduce hair loss in breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. The concept behind the system came when the mother of four, Sue Paxman, experienced first-hand the trauma of chemotherapy-induced hair loss. Paxman’s scalp-cooling cap is made from lightweight, biocompatible silicone that is soft and flexible, providing a snug yet comfortable fit during treatment. To find out more visit: www.paxmanscalpcooling.com

Terumo BCT’s new USD $100,000 Therapeutic Plasma Exchange (TPE) Innovation Award will help clinical investigators expand the field of data for certain types of autoimmune conditions, known as IgG4mediated diseases.

TPE is as an established therapy for many diseases, according to the American Society for Apheresis (ASFA), but the understanding of how it works is still emerging. As a result, some insurance providers and government programs will not cover this type of care — leaving some patients without potentially beneficial treatments.

“The first step in providing innovative therapies is generating data that helps healthcare providers demonstrate how procedures can help improve health outcomes for their patients,” said Regis Leonard, Vice President, Therapeutic Systems, Terumo BCT. “This new grant will support the important work of investigators who are working to improve the lives of patients.”

TPE takes place on therapeutic apheresis devices, an area of focus for Terumo BCT. The Colorado-based company also works in the fields of blood component and cell therapy technologies. It has customers in about 130 countries.

Impact on Patient Lives Terumo BCT will judge applications for the TPE Innovation Award based on several factors, including how the applicant plans to address the unmet medical need of understanding and treating IgG4-mediated diseases. The award committee also considers patient impact, feasibility and the likelihood of success. The company will accept applications until 31 October 2019. Terumo BCT’s Medical and Clinical Affairs specialists, along with an external committee of experts in the field, will select the winner. Learn more here.

TPE can be performed on Terumo BCT’s Spectra Optia® Apheresis System*. The device enables healthcare providers to remove plasma from a patient’s blood and replace it with either donated fresh frozen plasma or a mixture containing albumin (a protein found in human blood) to manage a variety of conditions.

TPE is an established therapy for some metabolic, neurologic, hematologic and renal disorders, according to ASFA. For example, ASFA recommends TPE as Category I, or first-line, therapy to manage myasthenia gravis, a chronic autoimmune disease that causes muscle weakness and rapid fatigue. However, many patient groups, including those with IG4-mediated diseases, may not receive TPE as first-line treatment because there is a lack of data demonstrating the efficacy of TPE. Data expansion could potentially allow healthcare providers to provide plasma exchange to their patients with insurance or government reimbursement support.

About Terumo
BCT Terumo BCT is a global leader in blood component, therapeutic apheresis and cell therapy technologies. We believe in the potential of blood and cells to do even more for patients than they do today. Terumo BCT’s Cell Therapy Technologies business enables researchers, developers and manufacturers to create next-generation cell and gene therapies. We do this through flexible, automated solutions that help meet evolving needs for reproducibility, quality and scale through the phases of development, from translational research to current good manufacturing practices (cGMP) for commercial manufacturing. www.terumobct.com If

Sono-Tek Corporation is pleased to announce that Sono-Tek has entered into an agreement with Avior Bio Incorporated for Sono-Tek ultrasonic coating equipment to be used in the Avior product development and future manufacturing process. Avior Bio procured Sono-Tek’s medical device coating machine which will be paid for through a combination of cash and Avior Bio equity. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

According to R. Stephen Harshbarger, Sono-Tek’s President, “Avior Bio is developing a powerful technology in the nano and microparticle drug delivery arena. The Speedit™ transmucosal film technology is unlike anything else Sono-Tek has seen among its customers, and Avior is using that technology to develop its first product in the target market of chronic kidney disease (CKD). The founder and CEO of Avior, Dr. Niraj Vasisht, has a proven track record of success. We are excited to have Sono-Tek coating machinery used in the Speedit™ manufacturing process, and to be an early investor in Avior.”

The CEO of Avior Bio Incorporated, Dr. Niraj Vasisht, commented, “Sono-Tek is well known for its precision medical device coating machinery. Sono-Tek’s ultrasonic spray technology offers Avior the ability to make uniform and well controlled microparticles in support of our patent-pending Speedit™ technology. After working at Sono-Tek’s laboratory with their talented applications engineering team, and upon successful completion of our proof-of-concept trials, we are thrilled that this custom-designed coating machine will enable Avior’s clinical trial material manufacturing up to Phase II clinical program. Partnering with a long-established coating manufacturer and process application experts will help to expedite our product and process development timelines.”

Sono-Tek Corporation is a leading developer and manufacturer of liquid spray products based on its proprietary ultrasonic nozzle technology. Founded in 1975, the Company’s products have long been recognized for their performance, quality, and reliability. Sono-Tek ultrasonic spray systems are proven in a wide range of precision spray applications worldwide, including implantable medical device coatings such as stents, printed circuit board spray fluxing, semiconductor coatings, solar and fuel cell manufacturing, thin film glass deposition, food and other industrial coatings applied to any width production lines. Sono-Tek’s environmentally friendly ultrasonic spray systems feature up to an 80 percent reduction in spray material, and dramatic reductions in waste and energy consumption.

Avior Bio Incorporated, located in Durham, North Carolina, is a clinical stage, pharmaceutical company developing drugs for distressed neurological conditions. Avior has developed a powerful, patent-pending delivery technology called Speedit™ transmucosal drug delivery technology where nano- and microparticles of drug reside on the surface of an oral transmucosal thin film. Using Speedit™ technology, Avior is positioned to develop products that bring unsurpassed value in efficacy and safety.

Avior’s lead candidate – AV104 – is targeted for treatment of a dermatological morbidity condition manifested by Chronic Kidney Disease associated Pruritus (CKD-aP) resulting in itchy, scaly, excoriated nodules on the skin (Prurigo Nodularis). The condition is often seen in patients undergoing hemodialysis for CKD, and estimates of over 2 million patients suffer from CKD associated Pruritus (CKD-aP) from Stage III to V of the end stage renal disease (ESRD) with no FDA approved therapies currently available.

Avior is seeking approval of AV104 through an NDA submission in 2Q2023 via a 505b2 regulatory roadmap. Avior has been funded by several private investors, including Quality Chemical Laboratories, National Institute of Health, and North Carolina Biotechnology Center (NCBC).

Royal Philips a global leader in health technology, and PURE (Point-of-care Ultrasound in Resource-limited Environments), a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing ultrasound education and use in the developing world, highlighted a unique tele-ultrasound mentorship program to provide much needed diagnostic ultrasound training to health workers in Rwanda. Expert training and mentorship in point-of-care ultrasound imaging supports Rwanda’s front-line primary and emergency care system and improves access to care for its citizens.

Ultrasound is considered to be one of the most important technologies to improve access to care in limited resource settings. This is particularly relevant in many practice settings across Africa, which bears 25% of the global burden of disease but has less than 2% of the health workers [1]. PURE has been working in Rwanda since 2011 to provide ultrasound training. However, there are many barriers to overcome when implementing an ultrasound training program in a resource-scare setting that is thousands of miles away.

Philips Lumify with Reacts tele-ultrasound is helping PURE to breakdown some of those barriers. Leveraging the unique live-streaming tele-ultrasound capabilities of Philips’ Lumify with Reacts (a portable point-of-care ultrasound solution), the PURE mentoring program in Rwanda connects a team of Europe and US-based physicians that are experts in point-of-care ultrasound with emergency medicine residents at the University Hospital of Kigali. Rwanda is helping to lead in access to universal healthcare coverage and in the development of emergency medicine as a specialty in East Africa. The doctors that are trained by PURE act as ultrasound ambassadors who can train primary care and emergency medical workers throughout the rest of the country and beyond.

“The Rwandese healthcare system has a rapidly developing emergency care infrastructure but still experiences challenges with limited rapid diagnostic capabilities, yet diagnostic imaging is essential in providing specialist-level care for the majority of acute illnesses and injuries presenting,” said Dr. Trish Henwood, President and Co-Founder of PURE and a specialist in emergency medicine and ultrasound. “The goal of this new tele-ultrasound mentorship program is to get our mentors and mentees better connected, helping to greatly increase the number of physicians we can train, and sustainably develop ultrasound expertise at the point-of-care throughout Rwanda.”

“The role of point-of-care ultrasound in improving emergency medicine in Rwanda is really important. We have a limited number of radiologists that we can call on to perform scans, and as a result there is often a delay in providing care to patients,” said Dr. Vincent Ndebwanimana, Emergency Care Physician at the University of Rwanda. “Now I can make the emergency diagnosis myself so that I can much better fulfil my responsibility as an emergency physician.”

“Ultrasound is an important first-line diagnostic tool, but may be limited by the capabilities of the user conducting and interpreting the scan,” said Bich Le, Business Leader Ultrasound, Philips. “At Philips, we are focused on providing ultrasound tools that aid in answering key clinical questions simply and quickly and we continue to believe that sustainable education is critical to increasing access to ultrasound and improving healthcare globally.”

Philips’ Lumify with Reacts point-of-care ultrasound solution, which works in conjunction with a compatible smartphone or tablet, is the world’s first ultra-portable ultrasound device with advanced telehealth capabilities. The Reacts communications platform enables two-way audio-visual calls with live ultrasound streaming, so both parties can simultaneously view the live ultrasound image and probe positioning, while discussing and interacting at the same time.

Lumify with Reacts is already an integral part of Philips’ outreach kit for its Community Life Center program, which aims to improve community and primary health across Africa by providing key tools and services for the continent’s health workers and midwives. Philips is a global leader and trailblazer in connected care solutions that support healthcare systems and improve access to care for millions of people across the world. Its other ground-breaking telehealth solutions include home monitoring systems for chronic disease patients and patient monitoring in electronic intensive care units (eICUs), as well as multiple tele-radiology applications.

About Royal Philips
Royal Philips is a leading health technology company focused on improving people’s health and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Philips generated 2018 sales of EUR 18.1 billion and employs approximately 78,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries.

A UK Government agency has delivered a verdict of “outstanding” on University of Huddersfield research that will aid a global healthcare company to continue its expansion, marketing its innovative scalp cooling caps – designed to prevent hair loss during cancer treatment – in several continents and dozens of countries.

The multi-national campus at the University has played its part in helping to ensure that the cold caps produced by Huddersfield Company Paxman are a perfect fit for the subtly different head shapes to be found around the world.

Researcher Dr Ertu Unver, a Principal Enterprise Fellow at the University and an expert in product design, needed anthropometric data to complete his latest Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with Paxman. Its goal was to design and develop a single-use cooling cap made from silicon that can be mass manufactured using the latest 3D printing technology. The cap has to be both comfortable and very close-fitting. Initially, the caps were designed for typical Caucasian head shapes, but then Paxman started to move into new markets that included Japan, meaning it was vital to have caps that could fit more rounded Asian heads.As part of his extensive data-gathering exercise, Dr Unver sought the collaboration of Japanese students at the University of Huddersfield and scanned their heads, enabling him to produce a 3D model that could be used to develop a range of caps for Asian markets.

Huddersfield-based Paxman has a long-standing collaboration with the town’s University and has now provided backing for a dedicated research centre that investigates the biology of scalp cooling – how and why it prevents hair loss during chemotherapy – and the development of new generations of cold caps, harnessing the latest manufacturing technologies such as 3D printing and rapid tooling. The Paxman Scalp Cooling Research & Innovation Centre at the University continues the work carried out by Dr Unver during the recently completed KTP. It received funding from the official agency Innovate UK, which has now awarded its highest grade of Outstanding on the four-year project.

Designing the new cooling caps presented considerable challenges – especially the complex grooves that carry the cooling fluid and which have to be flat in order to make a perfect contact with the scalp. Breakthroughs made by the research team have now led to two patents being awarded. Prof Kagioglou and Dr Unver were the academic supervisors of the KTP, which also saw postgraduate associates based at Paxman, where they were also supervised by Patrick Burke and Richard Paxman.

Speaking about the partnership Dr Unver, said: “Our collaboration with Paxmanisa fantastic opportunity for the academic team that deliver the BA/BSc Product Designcourse. To date, the team have received many awards, published journal articles, spoken at conferences and exhibited world-wide. Both the University Dean, Mike Kagioglouand I, are very proud of designing an award winning, Shonin, Ninsho, and the FDA cleared product used in over 50 countries that has been proven to help cancer patients keep their hair during chemotherapy treatment.”

The Paxman Scalp Cooling Research & Innovation Centre team will now investigate development of a novel, environmentally friendly ecosystem for 3D-printed, individual cooling caps, ready for mass customisation. The team will also research new medical applications for cooling technologies, such as devices that could curtail CIPN (chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy), which causes damage to patients’ nervous systems.

Hair loss is a well-known side effect of many chemotherapy regimens, with many patients reporting it to be the most traumatic aspect of their treatment. Scalp cooling provides the only real alternative to hair loss, resulting in a high level of retention or even complete hair preservation, improving patients’ self-confidence and creating positive attitudes towards treatment.

To find out more about scalp cooling visit www.paxmanscalpcooling.com

About Paxman
The Paxman Scalp Cooling System has been developed by the Paxman family to reduce hair loss in breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. The concept behind the system came when the mother of four, Sue Paxman, experienced first-hand the trauma of chemotherapy-induced hair loss. With more than 3,500 systems delivered into hospitals, clinics and treatment centres around the world, Paxman is the leading supplier of Scalp Cooling technology. Paxman’s scalp-cooling cap is made from lightweight, biocompatible silicone that is soft and flexible, providing a snug yet comfortable fit during treatment.

About the University of Huddersfield
The University of Huddersfield has a growing reputation as an inspiring, innovative provider of higher education of international renown. The University has been the recipient of the Times Higher Education magazine’s awards for University of the Year, Entrepreneurial University of the Year and Outstanding Leadership and Management and also a recipient of a Queen’s Awards for Enterprise. It recently became one of the few universities in the UK to be awarded the ‘Gold’ standard in the Government’s new Teaching Excellence Framework. The University’s research activities are continuously acknowledged for its internationally recognised centres of excellence, strategic industry relationships and a commitment to providing state-of-the-art facilities and equipment.