Latest news with #Georgopoulos
NDTV
5 days ago
- Health
- NDTV
New Technique Could Stop Chemo-Related Hair Loss, Offering Hope To Cancer Patients
A promising new method may offer hope to cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy who want to retain their hair. Researchers at Sheffield Hallam University have identified a powerful combination of scalp cooling and antioxidant treatment that significantly reduces hair loss. Scalp cooling, already used through "cold caps", restricts blood flow to the scalp, reducing the amount of chemotherapy drugs reaching hair follicles. The new study found that cooling the scalp to an optimal temperature of 18 degrees Celsius can effectively prevent follicle damage. Additionally, applying antioxidant-rich lotions-some ingredients found in red grapes-further boosts the protective effect. This dual approach has been described by researchers as a "milestone" in preserving hair during cancer treatment and could revolutionise patient care in oncology clinics. Dr Nik Georgopoulos, associate professor of cell biology at Sheffield Hallam, described hair loss as "the face of cancer". "Our findings suggest that the combination of cooling and antioxidants could be a game-changer in preventing chemotherapy-induced hair loss and could make a real difference to the lives of cancer patients worldwide." "It highlights the potential for a more effective and accessible solution to a common and highly distressing side effect of cancer treatment. By improving the quality of life for these patients, this method represents a significant advancement in supportive cancer care," he said. Researchers published their findings in Frontiers in Pharmacology, where they isolated hair follicles from the scalp and grew them in a lab setting. The team then treated these follicles with chemotherapy and discovered that cooling the cells helped protect them from damage, according to Dr Georgopoulos. According to a news release by Sheffield Hallam University, approximately 65% of people undergoing chemotherapy experience hair loss. It is one of the most feared side effects of chemotherapy, with 47% of female cancer patients considering it the most traumatic aspect of their treatment.
Daily Record
7 days ago
- Health
- Daily Record
New technique to prevent chemotherapy hair loss hailed as ‘powerful double weapon'
Researchers say the 'milestone' technique could transform the way hair is protected during treatment. Scientists have discovered a new technique which they describe as a "powerful double weapon" which could prevent cancer patients from losing their hair during chemotherapy. The groundbreaking new technique - being hailed as a major breakthrough - combines scalp cooling, where a patient wears a cold cap to help reduce hair loss from the damage caused by the cancer drugs – with a lotion comprising the same antioxidants found in the likes of red grapes. Researchers at Sheffield Hallam University say the technique, described as a 'milestone', could transform the way hair is protected during treatment. And they've even pinpointed the exact temperature that's most effective. Cold caps, which are already used by some cancer patients during chemotherapy, restricts blood flow to the scalp, which reduces the amount of medication reaching the hair follicles. Researchers have found cooling the scalp to 18C can prevent hair follicle damage, while cooling to 26C may not provide enough protection to hair follicle cells. The team behind the breakthrough has also shown how combining topical antioxidants with cooling could 'transform the ability of cooling to protect' against hair loss. Dr Nik Georgopoulos, an associate professor of cell biology and a Transforming Lives fellow at Sheffield Hallam, told the PA news agency that he views hair loss as the 'face of cancer '. 'The reason why people get hair loss is because, at the base of the hair follicles, there are these rapidly dividing cells that are actually feeling the toxicity of chemotherapy drugs,' he said. 'Chemotherapy drugs are drugs that kill rapidly dividing cancer cells, but they cannot discriminate between cancer cells and rapidly dividing normal cells in the body. 'At the base of our hair follicles are these rapidly dividing cells, or keratinocytes, that constantly grow and they end up forming the actual hair.' In the study, published in Frontiers in Pharmacology, researchers grew human hair follicles in the lab, then exposed them to chemotherapy to observe the damage. 'We show that they die,' Dr Georgopoulos said. 'The cells that are rapidly dividing and grow the hair, they will die because of the toxicity of chemotherapy. 'But if you cool them, they are protected, and I don't mean just protected – prevented from dying. 'So if cooling is used while the hair follicles are grown in the lab, it can completely prevent the toxicity. But there is a catch – you have to use the right temperature.' While the team nailed down the ideal cooling temperature, they also looked at how combining it with the lotion as a potential target for patients who may not respond to the cold cap technique. The lotion contained antioxidants like resveratrol, which is found in the likes of red grapes and peanuts, and N-Acetylcysteine, a dietary supplement. Dr Georgopoulos told PA: 'For some patients, cooling works, and for others it doesn't. Because some heads – I call them stubborn – they don't cool enough. 'By adding this topical product that delivers this antioxidant, we form a powerful double weapon that, based on our results in the lab, showed us it can transform the ability of cooling to protect.' Dr Georgopoulos added that the antioxidant lotion is not 'powerful enough' when used alone. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. 'The reason for that is cooling does multiple amazing things at the same time,' he said. 'What happens in the body when things go cold? You get the constriction of your blood vessels, they're narrowing down, less blood goes to the scalp, less drug. It isn't as simple as that. 'Our research has shown that cooling can slow down the cells, stops them from dividing – protection. 'It stops the chemotherapy drug going in – protection. It does multiple things at the same time as long as the cooling is optimal. 'If it isn't optimal, our approach is now allowing us to actually say 'it's OK, it's not an ideal scenario, but we compensate for it with our topical product'.' Dr Georgopoulos has been working with Paxman Scalp Cooling for more than a decade. The Huddersfield-based business has created a device that circulates coolant through a specially designed cooling cap, worn by the patient. The cooling cap is worn for half an hour before chemotherapy treatment commences, during treatment, and for up to 90 minutes after all the drugs have been given. It is now hoped the new technique, combining scalp cooling with the antioxidants, can be trialled with cancer patients using the Paxman device, with researchers currently finalising the antioxidants that will be used in the topical product. Dr Georgopoulos said: 'Our ongoing work will ensure that efficacy is as high as possible with the belief that a topical agent will not only dramatically enhance the efficacy of scalp cooling in protecting from hair loss, but also significantly accelerates hair recovery post chemotherapy treatment.'
STV News
7 days ago
- Health
- STV News
New technique 'powerful double weapon' to prevent chemotherapy hair loss
Scientists have developed a new technique which they describe as a 'powerful double weapon' to prevent cancer patients losing their hair during chemotherapy. The method combines scalp cooling – where a patient wears a cold cap to help reduce hair loss from the damage caused by the cancer drugs – with a lotion comprising the same antioxidants found in the likes of red grapes. The study, which has been hailed as a 'milestone', also pinpointed the optimal temperature for scalp cooling to be most effective for keeping hair. Cold caps are used by some cancer patients during chemotherapy to help minimise the amount of hair they lose. The technique works by restricting blood flow to the scalp, which reduces the amount of medication reaching the hair follicles. Now, researchers at Sheffield Hallam University have found cooling the scalp to 18C can prevent hair follicle damage, while cooling to 26C may not provide enough protection to hair follicle cells. The team has also shown how combining topical antioxidants with cooling could 'transform the ability of cooling to protect' against hair loss. Dr Nik Georgopoulos, an associate professor of cell biology and Transforming Lives fellow at Sheffield Hallam, told the PA news agency that he views hair loss as the 'face of cancer'. 'The reason why people get hair loss is because, at the base of the hair follicles, there are these rapidly dividing cells that are actually feeling the toxicity of chemotherapy drugs,' he said. 'Chemotherapy drugs are drugs that kill rapidly dividing cancer cells, but they cannot discriminate between cancer cells and rapidly dividing normal cells in the body. 'At the base of our hair follicles are these rapidly dividing cells, or keratinocytes, that constantly grow and they end up forming the actual hair.' For the study, published in Frontiers of Pharmacology, hair follicles were isolated from the scalp and grown in the lab before being treated with chemotherapy to study the impact. 'We show that they die,' Dr Georgopoulos said. 'The cells that are rapidly dividing and grow the hair, they will die because of the toxicity of chemotherapy. 'But if you cool them, they are protected, and I don't mean just protected – prevented from dying. 'So if cooling is used while the hair follicles are grown in the lab, it can completely prevent the toxicity. But there is a catch – you have to use the right temperature.' While an optimal temperature was highlighted in the study, researchers also combined cooling with the lotion as a potential target for patients who may not respond to the cold cap technique. It contained antioxidants like resveratrol, which is found in the likes of red grapes and peanuts, and N-Acetylcysteine, a dietary supplement. Dr Georgopoulos told PA: 'For some patients, cooling works, and for others it doesn't. Because some heads – I call them stubborn – they don't cool enough. 'By adding this topical product that delivers this antioxidant, we form a powerful double weapon that, based on our results in the lab, showed us it can transform the ability of cooling to protect.' Dr Georgopoulos added that the antioxidant lotion is not 'powerful enough' when used alone. 'The reason for that is cooling does multiple amazing things at the same time,' he said. 'What happens in the body when things go cold? You get the constriction of your blood vessels, they're narrowing down, less blood goes to the scalp, less drug. It isn't as simple as that. 'Our research has shown that cooling can slow down the cells, stops them from dividing – protection. 'It stops the chemotherapy drug going in – protection. It does multiple things at the same time as long as the cooling is optimal. 'If it isn't optimal, our approach is now allowing us to actually say 'it's OK, it's not an ideal scenario, but we compensate for it with our topical product'. Dr Georgopoulos has been working with Paxman Scalp Cooling for more than a decade. The Huddersfield-based business has created a device that circulates coolant through a specially designed cooling cap, worn by the patient. The cooling cap is worn for half an hour before chemotherapy treatment commences, during treatment, and for up to 90 minutes after all the drugs have been given. It is now hoped the new technique, combining scalp cooling with the antioxidants, can be trialled with cancer patients using the Paxman device, with researchers currently finalising the antioxidants that will be used in the topical product. Dr Georgopoulos said: 'Our ongoing work will ensure that efficacy is as high as possible with the belief that a topical agent will not only dramatically enhance the efficacy of scalp cooling in protecting from hair loss, but also significantly accelerates hair recovery post chemotherapy treatment.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
South Wales Guardian
7 days ago
- Health
- South Wales Guardian
New technique hailed as ‘powerful double weapon' against chemo hair loss
The method combines scalp cooling – where a patient wears a cold cap to help reduce hair loss from the damage caused by the cancer drugs – with a lotion comprising the same antioxidants found in the likes of red grapes. The study, which has been hailed as a 'milestone', also pinpointed the optimal temperature for scalp cooling to be most effective for keeping hair. Cold caps are used by some cancer patients during chemotherapy to help minimise the amount of hair they lose. The technique works by restricting blood flow to the scalp, which reduces the amount of medication reaching the hair follicles. Now, researchers at Sheffield Hallam University have found cooling the scalp to 18C can prevent hair follicle damage, while cooling to 26C may not provide enough protection to hair follicle cells. The team has also shown how combining topical antioxidants with cooling could 'transform the ability of cooling to protect' against hair loss. Dr Nik Georgopoulos, an associate professor of cell biology and Transforming Lives fellow at Sheffield Hallam, told the PA news agency that he views hair loss as the 'face of cancer'. 'The reason why people get hair loss is because, at the base of the hair follicles, there are these rapidly dividing cells that are actually feeling the toxicity of chemotherapy drugs,' he said. 'Chemotherapy drugs are drugs that kill rapidly dividing cancer cells, but they cannot discriminate between cancer cells and rapidly dividing normal cells in the body. 'At the base of our hair follicles are these rapidly dividing cells, or keratinocytes, that constantly grow and they end up forming the actual hair.' For the study, published in Frontiers of Pharmacology, hair follicles were isolated from the scalp and grown in the lab before being treated with chemotherapy to study the impact. 'We show that they die,' Dr Georgopoulos said. 'The cells that are rapidly dividing and grow the hair, they will die because of the toxicity of chemotherapy. 'But if you cool them, they are protected, and I don't mean just protected – prevented from dying. 'So if cooling is used while the hair follicles are grown in the lab, it can completely prevent the toxicity. But there is a catch – you have to use the right temperature.' While an optimal temperature was highlighted in the study, researchers also combined cooling with the lotion as a potential target for patients who may not respond to the cold cap technique. It contained antioxidants like resveratrol, which is found in the likes of red grapes and peanuts, and N-Acetylcysteine, a dietary supplement. Dr Georgopoulos told PA: 'For some patients, cooling works, and for others it doesn't. Because some heads – I call them stubborn – they don't cool enough. 'By adding this topical product that delivers this antioxidant, we form a powerful double weapon that, based on our results in the lab, showed us it can transform the ability of cooling to protect.' Dr Georgopoulos added that the antioxidant lotion is not 'powerful enough' when used alone. 'The reason for that is cooling does multiple amazing things at the same time,' he said. 'What happens in the body when things go cold? You get the constriction of your blood vessels, they're narrowing down, less blood goes to the scalp, less drug. It isn't as simple as that. 'Our research has shown that cooling can slow down the cells, stops them from dividing – protection. 'It stops the chemotherapy drug going in – protection. It does multiple things at the same time as long as the cooling is optimal. 'If it isn't optimal, our approach is now allowing us to actually say 'it's OK, it's not an ideal scenario, but we compensate for it with our topical product'. Dr Georgopoulos has been working with Paxman Scalp Cooling for more than a decade. The Huddersfield-based business has created a device that circulates coolant through a specially designed cooling cap, worn by the patient. The cooling cap is worn for half an hour before chemotherapy treatment commences, during treatment, and for up to 90 minutes after all the drugs have been given. It is now hoped the new technique, combining scalp cooling with the antioxidants, can be trialled with cancer patients using the Paxman device, with researchers currently finalising the antioxidants that will be used in the topical product. Dr Georgopoulos said: 'Our ongoing work will ensure that efficacy is as high as possible with the belief that a topical agent will not only dramatically enhance the efficacy of scalp cooling in protecting from hair loss, but also significantly accelerates hair recovery post chemotherapy treatment.'
North Wales Chronicle
7 days ago
- Health
- North Wales Chronicle
New technique hailed as ‘powerful double weapon' against chemo hair loss
The method combines scalp cooling – where a patient wears a cold cap to help reduce hair loss from the damage caused by the cancer drugs – with a lotion comprising the same antioxidants found in the likes of red grapes. The study, which has been hailed as a 'milestone', also pinpointed the optimal temperature for scalp cooling to be most effective for keeping hair. Cold caps are used by some cancer patients during chemotherapy to help minimise the amount of hair they lose. The technique works by restricting blood flow to the scalp, which reduces the amount of medication reaching the hair follicles. Now, researchers at Sheffield Hallam University have found cooling the scalp to 18C can prevent hair follicle damage, while cooling to 26C may not provide enough protection to hair follicle cells. The team has also shown how combining topical antioxidants with cooling could 'transform the ability of cooling to protect' against hair loss. Dr Nik Georgopoulos, an associate professor of cell biology and Transforming Lives fellow at Sheffield Hallam, told the PA news agency that he views hair loss as the 'face of cancer'. 'The reason why people get hair loss is because, at the base of the hair follicles, there are these rapidly dividing cells that are actually feeling the toxicity of chemotherapy drugs,' he said. 'Chemotherapy drugs are drugs that kill rapidly dividing cancer cells, but they cannot discriminate between cancer cells and rapidly dividing normal cells in the body. 'At the base of our hair follicles are these rapidly dividing cells, or keratinocytes, that constantly grow and they end up forming the actual hair.' For the study, published in Frontiers of Pharmacology, hair follicles were isolated from the scalp and grown in the lab before being treated with chemotherapy to study the impact. 'We show that they die,' Dr Georgopoulos said. 'The cells that are rapidly dividing and grow the hair, they will die because of the toxicity of chemotherapy. 'But if you cool them, they are protected, and I don't mean just protected – prevented from dying. 'So if cooling is used while the hair follicles are grown in the lab, it can completely prevent the toxicity. But there is a catch – you have to use the right temperature.' While an optimal temperature was highlighted in the study, researchers also combined cooling with the lotion as a potential target for patients who may not respond to the cold cap technique. It contained antioxidants like resveratrol, which is found in the likes of red grapes and peanuts, and N-Acetylcysteine, a dietary supplement. Dr Georgopoulos told PA: 'For some patients, cooling works, and for others it doesn't. Because some heads – I call them stubborn – they don't cool enough. 'By adding this topical product that delivers this antioxidant, we form a powerful double weapon that, based on our results in the lab, showed us it can transform the ability of cooling to protect.' Dr Georgopoulos added that the antioxidant lotion is not 'powerful enough' when used alone. 'The reason for that is cooling does multiple amazing things at the same time,' he said. 'What happens in the body when things go cold? You get the constriction of your blood vessels, they're narrowing down, less blood goes to the scalp, less drug. It isn't as simple as that. 'Our research has shown that cooling can slow down the cells, stops them from dividing – protection. 'It stops the chemotherapy drug going in – protection. It does multiple things at the same time as long as the cooling is optimal. 'If it isn't optimal, our approach is now allowing us to actually say 'it's OK, it's not an ideal scenario, but we compensate for it with our topical product'. Dr Georgopoulos has been working with Paxman Scalp Cooling for more than a decade. The Huddersfield-based business has created a device that circulates coolant through a specially designed cooling cap, worn by the patient. The cooling cap is worn for half an hour before chemotherapy treatment commences, during treatment, and for up to 90 minutes after all the drugs have been given. It is now hoped the new technique, combining scalp cooling with the antioxidants, can be trialled with cancer patients using the Paxman device, with researchers currently finalising the antioxidants that will be used in the topical product. Dr Georgopoulos said: 'Our ongoing work will ensure that efficacy is as high as possible with the belief that a topical agent will not only dramatically enhance the efficacy of scalp cooling in protecting from hair loss, but also significantly accelerates hair recovery post chemotherapy treatment.'
