10/24/2025
PhD student Marah Alassaf is developing a skin patch that could make breast cancer testing more comfortable and accessible.
Marah was studying for an undergraduate degree in Engineering when two friends were diagnosed with breast cancer. Their cancers were caught late, and Marah was inspired to find a solution.
‘‘It really motivated me and made me wonder if engineering could help with early detection,’’ she says.
Marah's ultra-thin electronic patch sticks to breasts and measures tiny, localised temperature changes that can be an early sign of a tumour.
“The user would wear the patch for an extended time,” she says. “We’d be looking for consistent patterns of a higher temperature in a particular area. This would give us a sign that further investigation is required."
So far, Marah has tested the patch on silicone models of breasts that can be programmed to change temperature. The next step is to test the patch on real patients, to see how well it could measure changes and identify tumours.
Marah explains that the patch won't replace doctors or current testing methods, but instead support them: “It’s an extra tool in the toolbox. It complements other medical tools so some of the work can be done in the comfort of people’s homes."
This convenient, non-invasive tool could one day help detect cancer earlier 💗
