Adoption of thermoelectric cooling for wearable medical cooling to increase patient access to CIPN preventative treatment

This project will utilise state-of-the-art technological advances to develop a wearable medical cooling device for the prevention of Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN).

CIPN is a common side-effect experienced by 30%-40% chemotherapy patients. CIPN causes progressive often irreversible pain/sensitivity in hands and feet, causing long-term suffering for patients and significantly increasing healthcare costs. Severe CIPN affects cancer survival rates as it can cause delays and discontinuation of chemotherapy treatment. Without preventative-treatment, 31,500 UK-patients, and 1.5M worldwide, are at risk of developing CIPN annually.

CIPN is currently an unmet, and increasing, clinical need. Limb-cooling during chemotherapy has demonstrated a CIPN neuroprotective effect. With cancer incidence rates rapidly rising (55% increase projected between 2020-2040) the need for effective CIPN-preventative treatment is escalating.

SME, Paxman, are global leaders in scalp-cooling, for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA). CIA is a chemotherapy side-effect, occurring alongside CIPN. Paxman are active in \>63 countries, dominating the market with an 80% share.

Building on previous highly successful collaborations, between **Paxman Coolers Ltd**. and the **University of Huddersfield**; this project integrates expertise from **University of Leeds;** extending the collaboration network and strengthening Paxman's developing R&D team.

Paxman's regulatory and medical-cooling expertise; established distribution-network and route-to-market, provide an optimal position for leading this development.

Paxman is a profitable/growing business, profits are currently focused on re-investment to meet agreed growth objectives, providing a secure business foundation for this additional development and CIPN-divergence.

A **Human-Centred-Design** approach will underpin the project, **placing the patient at the heart of the design process**, leading to new patient-friendly solutions which maximise useability and self-administration, whilst minimizing impact on hospital resources, thus dramatically increasing patient access to this much-needed treatment.

Addressing this accelerating unmet-clinical-need will enhance patient Quality-of-Life, patient work loss will be reduced through accelerated return to work, and CIPN-associated increasing economic/healthcare burden will be alleviated.