Light Therapy Alleviates Painful Side Effects of Chemotherapy Treatment

A technology originally developed for plant growth experiments on space shuttle missions has successfully reduced the painful side effects that result from chemotherapy and radiation treatments in bone marrow and stem cell transplant patients.

The WARP 75 light delivery system is a light emitting diode (LED) device based on High Emissivity Aluminiferous Luminescent Substrate (HEALS), providing a cost-effective and proactive therapy for symptoms of mucositis that are currently difficult to treat without additional, negative side effects. The device offers patients several benefits, including better nutrition, since eating can be difficult with painful mouth and throat sores; less narcotic use to treat mouth and throat pain; and an increase in patient morale, all of which contribute to shorter hospital stays and less potential for infection.


The system is a small, portable, flat array of chip-on-board mount LEDs that release infrared light at the far red/near infrared 670 nm wavelength. A nurse places the WARP 75 on the outside of a patient's cheek for just over a minute each day; the intense light energy (5 Joules/cm²) released by the device is emitted from 288 LED chips, each the size of a grain of salt; dose accuracy is controlled by an electronic timing circuit with audible end of cycle alarm. The device remains cool to the touch throughout the treatment. The WARP 75 light delivery system is a product of Quantum Devices (Barneveld, WI, USA), and was developed in collaboration with the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA; Washington DC, USA).

"With the help of NASA's Innovative Partnerships Program, Quantum Devices and its medical partners have been able to take a space technology and adapt it for an entirely different application to significantly help people here on Earth,” said Glenn Ignatius, president of Quantum Devices. "This collaboration between NASA and commercial companies has spurred innovation that is touching millions of lives on Earth, for the better.”

An LED is a semiconductor light source that releases energy in the form of photons. They emit long wavelengths of light that stimulate cells to aid in healing. The HEALS technology allows the LED chips to function at their maximum irradiancy without emitting heat.

Related Links:
Quantum Devices
National Aeronautics and Space Administration