FRANKFURT, Germany – A Mexican student, 18, has designed a bra that can help in the early detection of breast cancer.
Julian Rios Cantu, who was inspired by his mother’s battle with the disease which eventually led to both her breasts being removed, won top prize at the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA) in the German city of Frankfurt.
Rios Cantu, who is now the CEO of his own company Higia Technologies, told Mexican newspaper El Universal: “When there is a tumor in the breast there is more blood, more heat, so there are changes in temperature and in texture.
“If we see a persistent change, we will recommend that you go to the doctor.”
“Why a bra? Because it allows us to keep the breasts in the same position and it doesn’t have to be used more than one hour every week,” he added.
‘Auto-exploration bra’
Cantu and his three friends formed the company Higia Technologies, which applies biosensor development to medical advancement, and is “devoted to boosting women’s quality of life by attaining a professionalisation of the self-exploration method for the early and effective detection of breast cancer”.
The bra is called EVA, the ‘auto-exploration bra,’ and is especially useful for women with a known genetic predisposition towards breast cancer.
It’s quicker, easier, cheaper and less invasive than mammograms, for which you often have to wait months.
The 200 biosensors in the bra map the breast surface and note changes in temperature or size, which is allegedly far more accurate than self-evaluation.
An increase in shape, size or temperature could suggest more blood flow, which could reflect that blood vessels are consuming something – a sign in some types of cancer.
Rios Cantu will be able to use the money to finish development of EVA, which has also won him the Everis Mexico Award for Entrepreneurs. Taking to Instagram he said his eyes are firmly set on Silicon Valley as their next destination.
After beating 13 other student entrepreneurs from around the globe, Rios Cantu took home an impressive $20,000.
