A research team at the University of Waterloo in Ontario is helping cancer survivors manage lymphedema with a smartphone-sized, portable compression sleeve that lets patients move freely during therapy.
As cancer treatments become more advanced and personalised, survival rates for breast and brain cancers continue to rise. With more patients living longer after treatment, however, lymphedema has become a significant and growing complication. The Waterloo Microfluidics Laboratory (WML), directed by Carolyn Ren, a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, is addressing this challenge by integrating microfluidic chips into soft-robotic wearable technologies that improve the diagnosis and treatment of lymphedema.
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Lymphedema occurs when lymph nodes are removed or damaged during radiation treatment, preventing lympathic fluid from draining properly and causing painful swelling. Ren analysed leading compression-therapy devices and discovered that they all shared the same design limitation: a bulky control box that manages multiple valves, resulting in systems that are slow and dependent on wall power. This forces patients to sit still while connected to a device that can cost thousands of dollars.
WML engineered a portable solution. The prototype integrates a pump, valves and a microfluidic chip into a compact unit roughly the size and weight of a smartphone. Paired with lightweight inflatable balloons and a long-lasting battery, the compression sleeve can run for up to eight hours on a single overnight charge, enabling patients to move freely during treatment. The team’s goal is to deliver full therapeutic treatment at half the cost by partnering with manufacturers to produce the control box at a fraction of the price while also improving overall usability and experience.
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This innovation draws on WML’s deep expertise in microfluidics, the study of how biological fluids, such as protein-rich blood, move through microscopic channels. The lab’s research supports the development of chip-based devices, wearable sensors and soft-robotic tools for therapy, diagnosis and early disease detection.
‘As an engineer, I want to see the technology I develop work within my lifetime,’ Ren said. ‘That motivation drives me to start from the problem. If the problem is real – something that affects human wellbeing, health or quality of life – I always feel there must be a solution.’
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To ensure the device meets real clinical needs, WML collaborated with kinesiologist Clark Dickerson, Canada research chair in shoulder mechanics, and Jacqueline Kormylo, a Waterloo Master’s student whom Ren supported in becoming a certified lymphedema therapist. Their hands-on expertise offers essential insight into patient care and device usability.
Ren, along with her former graduate student Run Ze Gao, and other collaborators now hold several patents supporting the sleeve’s path towards FDA approval and medical adoption. Kormylo has begun demonstrating the sleeve with patients in Ottawa and gathering feedback to refine the design. The compression-sleeve technology has already earned significant recognition, winning multiple innovation awards.
While refining the compression sleeve, the team is also developing a next-generation therapeutic device – a robotic hand, capable of supporting other cancer patients with lymphedema in hard-to-treat areas.