NASA’s Research Helps in the Fight Against Cancer

WARP 75

WARP 75 and WARP 10

WARP 10

A NASA technology originally developed for the space program has evolved into a state-of-the-art medical device that increases the effectiveness of chemotherapy treatments and provides natural, drug-free pain relief for thousands of Americans.

NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and Quantum Devices, Inc. (QDI) first collaborated on the High-Emissivity Aluminiferous Luminescent Substrate (HEALS™) to help astronauts grow plants on the space shuttle. Encouraged by the way HEALS enhanced cellular function in plants, NASA and QDI began to pursue potential medical applications.

Through a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant, QDI has developed two award-winning, non-invasive medical devices, WARP 10™ and WARP 75™, for use in cancer treatments, prevention of oral mucositis (painful sores that result from radiation and chemotherapy), wound healing, and pain management.

Together NASA and QDI have harnessed the power of light to help treat cancer and chronic pain, and their pioneering work continues to generate extraordinary medical benefits. HEALS light therapy has shown promising applications in the treatment of multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, brain injuries, strokes, burns, bone loss, pressure sores, wounds, depression, and retinal disorders, including diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and macular degeneration.

More information about this success story is available online or contact us to learn more about this and other technology commercialization and licensing opportunities supported by Fuentek: nasa.msfc@fuentek.com or (919) 249-0327.


–By Karen Hiser

HEALS, WARP 10, and WARP 75 are trademarks of Quantum Devices, Inc.