ChemoCool
ABOUT
Innovative Portable Thermoelectric Cooling Glove
ChemoCool is a thermoelectric cooling glove designed to prevent chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). The condition is a common side-effect of taxane-based chemotherapy, affecting millions of cancer patients around the world each year. CIPN occurs when chemotherapy drugs damage the peripheral nerves, causing a painful burning sensation in the hands and feet. There is currently no effective prevention method for CIPN, but recent research shows that cryotherapy is a promising approach. Our device leverages that research. By cooling the hands at 10°C and inducing vasoconstriction, the gloves would prevent chemotherapy drugs from traveling to the extremities through the bloodstream and damaging the peripheral nerves, effectively reducing the risk of CIPN.
Our Mission
As CIPN is a major side effect of chemotherapy that effects millions of cancer patients each year, we strive to alleviate their sufferings and improve their quality of life. Our mission is to develop equitable innovations that can significantly increase the quality of life of cancer patients, with our first device being ChemoCool.
We prioritize accessibility, affordability and functionality in all of our designs. Starting out with addressing CIPN prevention, we aspire to revolutionize cancer side effect treatment and make an impact on the global scale.
Our
Story
Get to Know Us
Our team was formed after working at Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMR), aiming to tackle a current healthcare deficiency. We were inspired to work on this project after interviewing Dr. Craig Heller on his palm-cooling device, CoolMitt. We wanted to expand on applications of cooling in the medical field: combating the lack of portability and efficiency in current treatments for CIPN prevention stood out as a promising area.
MEET THE TEAM!
Benjamin Liu
Caden Tan
Benjamin Liu is a senior at Henry M. Gunn High School in Palo Alto, California. He is co-president of his school's Autonomous Robotics Club, a captain of the varsity cross country team, and a top 800-meter runner on the varsity track team. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking, playing basketball, running half-marathons, coding, playing the piano, and volunteering at an organization to teach students how to code. In the future, he hopes to pursue a career in biomedical engineering and design medical devices that improve health treatment outcomes for millions of people around the world.
Caden Tan is a senior at Independence High School, San Jose, California. After joining the robotics team and MESA program, his main interests evolved to include CAD, product fabrication, and the application of engineering in healthcare. With experience in equitable design at MESA's annual National Engineering Design Challenge, he is aspiring to pursue a major and career in biomedical engineering. In his free time, he enjoys playing the diabolo (Chinese yoyo), teaching abacus, playing table tennis, and spending time with family.
Jishnuu Senthil Kumar
Jishnuu Senthil Kumar is a senior at American High School in Fremont, California. He enjoys exploring robotics and expanding his knowledge as part of his school's Science Olympiad team. Outside of academics, he runs varsity cross country and track and enjoys volunteering at a local senior home. Since building his first biomedical tool for lung cancer detection, he has been captivated by the field of biomedical engineering. He aspires to pursue a career in this space, conducting research and addressing healthcare challenges in his future.
Damon Huynh
Eusern Ng
Damon Huynh is a senior attending Yerba Buena High School in San Jose, California. At school, he's the captain of both the tennis and water polo team and helped find the first computer science club. His main hobbies are exercising, cooking, trying foods, and watching new shows. In college, he's hoping to major in computer science, math, or electrical engineering to work in a related field. Right now, his future goals include participating in research and pursuing graduate school.
Eusern Ng is a senior at Milpitas High School in Milpitas, California. He is the president of his school’s robotics club and captain of his varsity golf team. In his free time, he enjoys playing soccer and soccer refereeing, golfing, thrifting, and eating. He is not really certain about his life plan yet, but he knows he wants to explore a career that allows him to innovate and create impactful technological solutions for society.
OUR PRODUCT
ChemoCool is a thermoelectric cooling glove designed to prevent chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), a common side-effect of taxane-based chemotherapy that affects millions of cancer patients around the world each year.
Circuit Design
The circuit design features two batteries, a Peltier module, and a DC fan connected to a heat dissipation system, all in parallel. In addition, there is an adjustable knob in series with the batteries, allowing for the temperature to be controlled to the patient's individual vasoconstriction threshold.
Cooling and Heat Dissipation System
The cooling power is generated through Peltier modules, which are connected to the batteries. The cold side of the Peltier module cools the water pouch, which then makes contact with the palm. The hot side is connected to a heat sink and fan, which draws the heat out into the environment, preventing the cold side from being overpowered and allowing for a consistent, powreful coolong effect.
3D-Printed Battery Holder
The 3D-printed battery holder is mounted on the wrist and held in place with a velcro strap. This allows our device to have power while still remaining portable. The portability allows for the gloves to be worn for hours after chemotherapy while the patient is not in the hospital, long enough for most taxane drugs to be eliminated from the vascular system.
Design Iterations
Throughout our design process, our team has continuously refined and improved our product, such as implementing a potentiometer to allow for manual adjustable temperature. Currently, we are working on developing a feedback and sensor system that automatically adjusts temperature based on the wearer's environment. In the future, we also plan to implement ChemoCool's technology to wearables for the feet to further prevent CIPN occurrence.
Adjustable Temperature
The addition of the potentiometer allows users to manually adjust the temperature of the cooling system, as it adjusts the voltage of the Peltier module.
Feedback System
Implementing an automatic feedback system will conserve battery and optimize the cooling effect while maintaining comfortability. We will be using an Arduino and temperature sensors to construct this system.
CONTACT
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