This Teen Designed A Breast Cancer Detection Bra After Almost Losing His Mom To The Disease

After nearly losing his mother to breast cancer, Julián Ríos Cantú decided to do something to help all women become better at early detection. At the age of 17, he and three of his friends created a product, the Eva Bra, that can map the surface of the breasts and help to detect any inconsistencies in temperature, texture and color. Basically, these teens have come up with something that’s seems way better than a self-examination.

Ríos Cantú almost lost his mother to breast cancer when he was 13 years old. He explains in a video about his product, “The tumor went from having the dimensions of a grain of rice to that of a golf ball in less than six months. The diagnosis came too late and my mother lost both of her breasts and, almost, her life.”

This inspired the company he and his friends created, Higia Technologies. Higia is based off of Hygieia. In Greek mythology, Hygieia was the daughter to the god of medicine and served as the personification of health, prevention and hygiene, according to Higia Technologies’ website.

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The bra design seems to work well because it’s something women would most likely wear anyway. “Why a bra? Because it allows us to keep the breasts in the same position and it doesn’t have to be used more than one hour every week,” he told El Universal.

But, how does it work exactly?

According to Ríos Cantú, “What happens is we take all that data [from the sensors in the bra] and store it. When there is a tumor in the breast there is more blood, more heat, so there are changes in temperature and in texture. We will tell you, ‘in this quadrant there are drastic changes in temperature’ and our software specializes in caring for that area,” he explained to El Universal. “If we see a persistent change, we will recommend that you go to the doctor.” This definitely beats using your fingers as your only indicator of change in a self-examination.

While Ríos Cantú is estimating that it will be two years before the Eva Bra will be certified for home use, that doesn’t mean this product isn’t getting noticed for its innovation. Just recently, the early detection product won the top prize at the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards.

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This award is surely only the beginning for the Eva Bra. Because something this life-changing doesn’t come around often, and when it does, it’s bound to become a success. Thankfully, these teens are out to make a difference by helping women better help themselves. That way, hopefully, fewer females will have to battle cancer as Ríos Cantú’s mother did.