A NASA technology has successfully reduced painful side-effects resulting from chemotherapy and radiation treatment in bone marrow and stem cell transplant patients.
The technology, known as High Emissivity Aluminiferous Luminescent Substrate (HEALS), is a type of far red/near infrared Light Emitting Diode treatment.
In a two-year study involving 80 patients, HEALS was delivered by a device known as the WARP 75 light delivery system, to treat oral mucositis – a painful side-effect of chemotherapy and radiation treatment.
The trial results revealed that there is 96% chance that the reduction in pain of those in high-risk patient group was the result of HEALS treatment.
The HEALS device, WARP 75, works by releasing long wavelengths of light that stimulate cells to promote healing.
The WARP 75 light delivery system was developed by Ron Ignatius, founder and chairman of Quantum Devices in collaboration with NASA, and is currently undergoing US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) premarket approval.