Scientist pioneers ‘bra’ that detects cancer
Malayali scientist A Seema was honoured this year with the prestigious Nari Shakti Puraskar for her work
— Anna.Mathews@timesgroup.com
28.03.2019
A Seema has an admirable no-nonsense approach to things, whether it is about her career, the way she looks at gender or even the national awards she has received. Or maybe, it is just the practical manner of a scientist.
Led by her, 10 scientists from the Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology (C-MET) in Thrissur, have developed a firstof-its-kind wearable device, basically designed like a bra, with inbuilt sensors to enable screening of breast cancer. It is an indigenously developed, inexpensive, radiation-free, easy-to-use device that enables widespread checks at the community level.
For her work, Seema was honoured with the Nari Shakti Puraskar, the highest civilian honour for a woman from President Ram Nath Kovind on International Women’s Day. She also received the National Award for Women’s Development (NAWD) through Application of Science and Technology, given by the Department of Science and Technology in late February.
According to the Noida-based National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research, there were 1.62 lakh new cases and 87,090 deaths reported in 2018 from breast cancer in India. While it is the most common cancer in women in the country, with one woman diagnosed with the disease every four minutes, there is no organised screening.
“We were developing chip thermal sensors used in automobiles and had transferred the technology in 2016,” says Seema, who has worked with C-MET for two decades. “We had an interaction with the Malabar Cancer Centre and they asked if we can extrapolate the sensors that we developed to a community-level breast cancer screening device.”
Seema hopes that once the bra is mass produced, this could bring a change in the lives of many. “We started working on this wearable device in 2014, completed it in 2018 and transferred the technology for commercialisation to a Hyderabadbased company in January 2019,” she says.
Its working is very simple for the person undergoing the screening and for those operating the device. The bra is worn for 15 to 30 minutes, the device maps the skin temperature of the breast and gives a 2D image reading, which can be obtained on a laptop, tablet, or similar connected device through the data acquisition system through a wireless or wired connector. Cancer cells have a high metabolic rate, and so, have a higher temperature than normal cells.
If there is an abnormality, it shows up a temperature difference.
The clinical trials were conducted on 170 patients and 200 volunteers, at the Malabar Cancer Centre, Thalassery, with committee permissions.“We compared the results with standard diagnostic tools such as the mammogram and ultrasound. There was a 90% comparison with mammogram. This is only the beginning; more clinical trials and multi-centre trials need to be done, and it has to be mass produced. Transferring the technology is the first step towards this,” says Seema, who did her PhD in composite materials at CUSAT.
While the bra is only a preliminary screening and the mammogram is still the standard test advised, the former has several advantages. It costs only 1/300 of a mammogram, points out Seema. “The digital mammogram device costs about ₹3.5 crore, this device, including data acquisition, will cost only between ₹25,000 to ₹50,000. Getting a mammogram costs ₹1,000, while this device will do a test for less than ₹50, and the equipment has no recurring costs,” she notes. Also, while the mammogram is an x-ray technique and WHO guidelines say that it should only be done for women above 40 because of the radiation, there is no such risk with this device. “But that does not mean this is to replace the mammogram. This is a portable device for community-screening that can be taken in a briefcase to the community. This device also ensures the privacy of the woman, as it is worn as an inner wear and the woman can wear her gown over it. This is a big issue in the country,” she says.
Also, unlike the mammogram, there is no pain while using this for screening. There is a thermography device in the West where the screening is done with an infrared camera, but again, there is the issue of radiation and it does not offer the privacy of the bra.
The team is next working on creating 3D images with the device. Seema is also working on a super capacitor project for the Central Ministry of Power. “It is technology that we are working on at the same time as the rest of the world, and we are set to transfer the technology soon. We are also creating the first fully indigenous technology in very small chip thermal sensors of 0.5 mm thickness; these are projects of pride for us,” she says.
WE STARTED WORKING ON THIS WEARABLE DEVICE IN 2014, COMPLETED IT IN 2018 AND TRANSFERRED THE TECHNOLOGY FOR COMMERCIALISATION TO A HYDERABAD-BASED COMPANY IN JANUARY 2019
— A SEEMA, C-MET SCIENTIST
THIS DEVICE, INCLUDING DATA ACQUISITION, WILL COST ONLY BETWEEN ₹25,000 TO ₹50,000. GETTING A MAMMOGRAM COSTS ₹1,000, WHILE THIS DEVICE WILL DO A TEST FOR LESS THAN₹50, AND THE EQUIPMENT HAS NO RECURRING COSTS
— A Seema
Malayali scientist A Seema was honoured this year with the prestigious Nari Shakti Puraskar for her work
— Anna.Mathews@timesgroup.com
28.03.2019
A Seema has an admirable no-nonsense approach to things, whether it is about her career, the way she looks at gender or even the national awards she has received. Or maybe, it is just the practical manner of a scientist.
Led by her, 10 scientists from the Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology (C-MET) in Thrissur, have developed a firstof-its-kind wearable device, basically designed like a bra, with inbuilt sensors to enable screening of breast cancer. It is an indigenously developed, inexpensive, radiation-free, easy-to-use device that enables widespread checks at the community level.
For her work, Seema was honoured with the Nari Shakti Puraskar, the highest civilian honour for a woman from President Ram Nath Kovind on International Women’s Day. She also received the National Award for Women’s Development (NAWD) through Application of Science and Technology, given by the Department of Science and Technology in late February.
According to the Noida-based National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research, there were 1.62 lakh new cases and 87,090 deaths reported in 2018 from breast cancer in India. While it is the most common cancer in women in the country, with one woman diagnosed with the disease every four minutes, there is no organised screening.
“We were developing chip thermal sensors used in automobiles and had transferred the technology in 2016,” says Seema, who has worked with C-MET for two decades. “We had an interaction with the Malabar Cancer Centre and they asked if we can extrapolate the sensors that we developed to a community-level breast cancer screening device.”
Seema hopes that once the bra is mass produced, this could bring a change in the lives of many. “We started working on this wearable device in 2014, completed it in 2018 and transferred the technology for commercialisation to a Hyderabadbased company in January 2019,” she says.
Its working is very simple for the person undergoing the screening and for those operating the device. The bra is worn for 15 to 30 minutes, the device maps the skin temperature of the breast and gives a 2D image reading, which can be obtained on a laptop, tablet, or similar connected device through the data acquisition system through a wireless or wired connector. Cancer cells have a high metabolic rate, and so, have a higher temperature than normal cells.
If there is an abnormality, it shows up a temperature difference.
The clinical trials were conducted on 170 patients and 200 volunteers, at the Malabar Cancer Centre, Thalassery, with committee permissions.“We compared the results with standard diagnostic tools such as the mammogram and ultrasound. There was a 90% comparison with mammogram. This is only the beginning; more clinical trials and multi-centre trials need to be done, and it has to be mass produced. Transferring the technology is the first step towards this,” says Seema, who did her PhD in composite materials at CUSAT.
While the bra is only a preliminary screening and the mammogram is still the standard test advised, the former has several advantages. It costs only 1/300 of a mammogram, points out Seema. “The digital mammogram device costs about ₹3.5 crore, this device, including data acquisition, will cost only between ₹25,000 to ₹50,000. Getting a mammogram costs ₹1,000, while this device will do a test for less than ₹50, and the equipment has no recurring costs,” she notes. Also, while the mammogram is an x-ray technique and WHO guidelines say that it should only be done for women above 40 because of the radiation, there is no such risk with this device. “But that does not mean this is to replace the mammogram. This is a portable device for community-screening that can be taken in a briefcase to the community. This device also ensures the privacy of the woman, as it is worn as an inner wear and the woman can wear her gown over it. This is a big issue in the country,” she says.
Also, unlike the mammogram, there is no pain while using this for screening. There is a thermography device in the West where the screening is done with an infrared camera, but again, there is the issue of radiation and it does not offer the privacy of the bra.
The team is next working on creating 3D images with the device. Seema is also working on a super capacitor project for the Central Ministry of Power. “It is technology that we are working on at the same time as the rest of the world, and we are set to transfer the technology soon. We are also creating the first fully indigenous technology in very small chip thermal sensors of 0.5 mm thickness; these are projects of pride for us,” she says.
WE STARTED WORKING ON THIS WEARABLE DEVICE IN 2014, COMPLETED IT IN 2018 AND TRANSFERRED THE TECHNOLOGY FOR COMMERCIALISATION TO A HYDERABAD-BASED COMPANY IN JANUARY 2019
— A SEEMA, C-MET SCIENTIST
THIS DEVICE, INCLUDING DATA ACQUISITION, WILL COST ONLY BETWEEN ₹25,000 TO ₹50,000. GETTING A MAMMOGRAM COSTS ₹1,000, WHILE THIS DEVICE WILL DO A TEST FOR LESS THAN₹50, AND THE EQUIPMENT HAS NO RECURRING COSTS
— A Seema
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