UK Scalp Cooling Firm Wins Award for Cancer Hair Loss Partnership

The makers of an acclaimed scalp-cooling device which can reduce hair loss during cancer treatment have been praised for the way in which they have teamed up with the world of academia to improve their product.

Huddersfield-based company Paxman were named winner of the Partnership With Academia Awards at the Medilink Yorkshire and Humber Healthcare Business Awards thanks two a two-year partnership with Huddersfield University.

Better scalp cooling

Their joint research project has allowed Paxman to interpret data from clinical trials in order to improve the efficacy of scalp cooling. News-medical.net reports that the joint work has enabled the company to reduce scalp cooling treatment times; good news for patients, who no longer need to remain in the clinic as long as they used to while undergoing their scalp cooling treatment, and also the clinics themselves, who are benefit from a faster turnaround time for the device so that it may be used on more patients.

Paxman’s manufacturing output has risen from 200 to 2,000 caps per month thanks to recent improvements, and the company states that more than 100,000 people have now used it in 32 countries.

Writing about the partnership on their own website, Paxman explain that the research project with the University has led to the design and development of “a 21st century cooling cap system which offers a much better fit to all head shapes including ethnic varieties. The latest model of the cap uses 3D printed tooling technologies and will pave the way for mass manufacture using silicone sheet technology.”

Richard Paxman, CEO of the company, is quoted on news-medical.net as saying: “Our collaborative work with the University of Huddersfield has had a significant impact on our business and ultimately the patients benefitting from scalp cooling treatment to alleviate chemotherapy induced alopecia.”

Common form of hair loss

Hair loss as a result of chemotherapy treatment is very common, and happens when cancer-fighting drugs fail to differentiate between enemy cells and healthy ones, with the result that hair follicles can become damaged and hair falls out. Paxman’s scalp-cooling caps slow down blood flow to the scalp during treatment, thus reducing the amount of cancer drugs that circulate to that part of the body.

Paxman’s first cooling cap was developed way back in 1977, and a number of improvements and updates have made it ever more easy to use. The company has recently spoken of a success rate in excess of 50 per cent, and has stated that it hopes to increase this to around 80 per cent by 2020. Ultimately, they hope to perfect a device that means no one need ever lose hair to cancer treatment drugs again.