Innovation from Mangaluru Startup Aims to Protect Oral Health During Cancer Radiation

Mangaluru located startup’s new advancement intends to alter radiation therapy’s impact on patients with head and neck cancers. The startup that got to the Yenepoya Technology Incubator has created a patented device that shields radiation to protect the oral tissues that are healthy during the radiation treatment.

Radiation therapy is still among the most effective ways to treat head and neck cancers. This treatment method focuses high-energy rays on the tumors to kill the cancer cells. However, sometimes the radiation also reaches the surrounding tissues in the mouth and throat, causing painful and debilitating side effects. As a result, many patients suffer from oral ulcers, dry mouth (xerostomia), tooth decay, and difficulties with eating or speaking after the treatment.

To solve this clinical issue, Mashaa Radpro Pvt Ltd has come up with a radiation shielding material that can be placed in the mouth during the therapy. The shield is made with biocompatible materials and is intended to spare the surrounding tissues from the harmful effects of the radiation, thus decreasing the collateral damage while still maintaining the treatment’s effectiveness.

The breakthrough technology is a result of over eight years of concentrated research directed by Dr. Riaz Abdulla, who is a dental pathologist at Yenepoya Dental College and founder of Mashaa Radpro. His observations from clinical practice over the years led him to pinpoint the necessity of such a solution, since even in the cases where the tumors are controlled by radiation therapy the side effects on healthy tissues that the patients experience are very severe and therefore the patients’ quality of life is badly compromised.

The project had financial support and technical cooperation from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), which made sure the shielding material was up to very high standards of safety, effectiveness, and biological compatibility. This intense development process aimed to provide a device that the patients could use in hospitals without increasing the risk of treatment.

The protective gear is designed to be very low-priced so that it can be adopted by health care systems that have limited resources. This low cost is very important in places where advanced supportive care measures are often out of reach or do not exist at all, while still the problem of head and neck cancer is quite serious.

The patent was officially transferred from Yenepoya Technology Incubator to Mashaa Radpro, which is a very important point in the transformation of academic research into practical application. The incubator assisted the startup in acquiring intellectual property protection and in getting ready for possible commercial distribution.

The device that has been patented has gained not only regional but also national importance. The startup of Mashaa Radpro was invited to exhibit its innovation during Karnataka Government’s startup accelerator program at the People’s Festival of Innovations, New Delhi. The medical community, local government and investors have taken notice of this innovative development due to this exposure.
Usage of the new technology by cancer patients is expected to be life-changing as it will be a major factor in lessening the side effects of the medication and, consequently, patients’ adherence to the schedules will increase. The complications that arise due to the illness might be fewer and thus, checking on the patients may not be as frequent and their recovery quicker.

The entire process demonstrates which- the academic institutions and incubators have become more and more significant in addressing unmet health care needs with their technological research and start-ups. The invention of the radiation shield has strong theological backing and is being passed through and governmental support, thus it won’t be long before it is adopted as the standard care for patients with head and neck cancers and the patients getting complex radiotherapies will then have real relief.