Huddersfield University expertise has helped scoop a major award for a scalp cooling cap which could reduce hair loss in cancer patients.

The design is a winner in the international Exhibitor Innovations Competition

And it was the skills and technical innovations of researchers at the university which have led to improvements in the silicon cooling cap.

The cap has been developed, made and globally marketed by Huddersfield firm Paxman, which has formed close ties with experts at the university, where the scientific basis for scalp cooling in preventing hair loss during chemotherapy has been established.

And in the School of Art, Design and Architecture, lecturers Dr Ertu Unver and Dr David Swann have worked on major improvements to the design of the cap.

The new silicone rubber formulation gives the cooling cap greater flexibility

The latter worked closely with the firm Primasil Silicones in the creation of a silicone rubber formulation that gave the cap greater flexibility and enabled the coolant to be in close contact with the scalp.

Success came at the 2015 Medtech World Awards.

Dr Unver’s brief was to redesign the cap so it is a better fit – vital if the device is to be effective – and can be mass-manufactured, making it more economical. The cap he and Dr Swann developed fits the head more efficiently and there has also been an improvement in the flow pattern of the coolant.

Chris Sorbie and Ertu Unver

Dr Unver did extensive research into head sizes and used 3D technology to develop a new design and now two patents have been applied for.

The cooling cap was also one of 46 finalists in the INDEX: Design to Improve Life Awards, which received 1,123 entries from 72 countries.

The collaboration with Paxman will continue as the firm seeks to further improve its cooling caps. Dr Unver and Dr Swann are the academic and enterprise supervisors for the latest development.

Handling research at Paxman’s Huddersfield HQ and at the university is product design graduate and former student of Dr Unver, Chris Sorbie.