A novel medical device for reducing chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy in the hands

我们发明了一种新的颠覆性技术，可以减轻化疗的常见剂量限制和/或衰弱副作用。我们希望优化这项技术，将其嵌入到可穿戴产品中，并将其放在癌症患者手中。背景与需求化疗诱发的周围神经病(CIPN)是化疗药物引起的一种神经损害形式-它通常始于手和脚，导致疼痛、功能丧失和可见的损害。根据化疗的类型，30%-90%(北京人等人)。2012年，Maihöfner等人。2021年)的患者将遭受CIPN及其副作用的影响。鉴于英国癌症幸存者的数量将从今天的300万增加到2030年的大约400万(Macmillian癌症支持，2022年)，CIPN的影响将继续增长。目前还没有有效的治疗方法来预防或减少CIPN，随着化疗的进展，症状会变得更糟。这意味着患者经常被迫停止治疗，从而降低了癌症治愈的可能性。此外，即使化疗成功，每四名癌症幸存者中就有一人因化疗的副作用而致残，其中CIPN占主导地位(Macmillian癌症支持，2022年)。化疗患者的需求没有得到充分满足。目前的解决方案包括皮肤降温和/或手脚受压。它们在某种程度上是有效的，但它们的工作原理需要更好地理解。然而，至关重要的是，这些方法并没有得到很好的容忍：它们可能是沉重的、限制性的，通常还会让人感到不舒服。它们的低温和压力会导致疼痛和自我损害，有时甚至会冻伤。此外，这些技术管理起来可能很麻烦，这意味着癌症护理人员很难使用和支持它们。这些挑战极大地限制了这些解决方案的采用。对于数百万可以从预防CIPN中受益的人来说，许多人不会--因为这些解决方案造成了太多的不适，无法持续。我们的解决方案可以做得更好。建议的解决方案(潜在的应用和益处)我们已经发现了一种在化疗期间使用靶向电刺激来减少外周血流量的方法。减少血液流动将减少可供指尖和脚趾神经末梢吸收的有毒化疗药物的数量，从而保护周围神经。我们计划创造一种名为Stimmitts(工作产品名称)的医疗设备，可以改变癌症患者和幸存者的经历和结果，他们已经或将接受化疗。独一无二的是，斯蒂姆手套工作安静，负担得起，不限制手的运动-这意味着接受几个小时或几天化疗的患者不会无助地受到本质上是手臂约束的束缚。这种产品每年将使全球另外1000万患者受益，其影响将在化疗期间和他们的余生中感受到。

We have invented a new and disruptive technology that can mitigate a common dose-limiting and/or debilitating side-effect of chemotherapy. We want to optimise this technology, embed it into a wearable product, and put it in/on the hands of cancer patients. Context & NeedChemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a form of nerve damage caused by chemotherapy drugs - it often starts in the hands and feet and causes pain, loss of function and visible damage. Depending on the type of chemotherapy, 30-90% (Beijers et al. 2012, Maihöfner et al. 2021) of patients will suffer from CIPN and its side effects. Given that the number of UK cancer survivors is set to increase from 3 million today to roughly 4 million by 2030 (Macmillian Cancer Support, 2022), the impact of CIPN will continue to grow.There are currently no effective treatments to prevent or reduce CIPN, and symptoms get worse as chemotherapy treatment progresses. This means that patients are often forced to stop their treatment, reducing the likelihood of their cancer being cured. Moreover, even if chemotherapy is successful, one in four cancer survivors suffer disabilities resulting from the side effects of chemotherapy, among which CIPN is dominant (Macmillian Cancer Support, 2022).The needs of chemotherapy patients are not being adequately met.Current solutions involve cooling of the skin, and/or compression of the hands and feet. They're effective to some extent, but their working principles need to be better understood. Crucially however, these approaches are not well-tolerated: they can be heavy, restrictive and generally uncomfortable. Their cold temperatures and pressure can cause pain and damage themselves, sometimes even frostbite. Furthermore, these technologies can be cumbersome to manage, meaning they are difficult for cancer care staff to use and support. These challenges significantly limit the uptake of these solutions. For the millions of people who could benefit from the prevention of CIPN, many won't—because these solutions create too much discomfort and can't be sustained. Our solution can do better. Proposed Solution (Potential Application & Benefits)We have discovered a way to reduce peripheral blood-flow during chemotherapy using targeted electrical stimulation. Reducing blood-flow will lower the amount of toxic chemotherapy drugs available for absorption by the nerve-endings in the fingertips and toes, therefore, protecting the peripheral nerves.We plan to create the 'Stim-mitts' (working product name); a medical device that can transform the experience and outcomes of cancer patients and survivors, who have undergone or will undergo chemotherapy. Uniquely, the Stim-mitts work quietly, affordably and without restricting hand movements—meaning that patients undergoing chemotherapy for hours or days are not bound helplessly to what are essentially arm restraints. This product stands to benefit an additional 10 million patients per year worldwide, and the impact of its use would be felt during chemotherapy and for the rest of their lives.