“The Innovation Catalyst Fund is a powerful accelerator that helps our faculty turn bold ideas into tangible impact,” says Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs C. Cybele Raver. “From adaptive learning tools to lifesaving medical technologies, these projects exemplify how our commitment to innovation is shaping a better future. As these examples show so powerfully, at Vanderbilt, research is more than discovery—it’s about solving real-world challenges and improving lives.”
A Breath of Empowerment
Breast cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy often face a painful tradeoff. While treatment can save their lives, it can also increase the risk of heart disease, particularly for left-sided breast cancer. To reduce that risk, patients are taught to hold their breath during treatment to protect the heart—a process that can be stressful and hard to master.
Megan Salwei, an assistant professor of anesthesiology who specializes in designing technologies that align with how real people think, feel and behave, saw a chance to help. With catalyst funding, her team developed BReaTHS, a personalized system to give patients real-time feedback while they practice breath holds at home and during treatment. The system consists of a respiratory sensor belt that measures patient chest expansion and virtual reality goggles that provide real-time feedback about the quality of the breath. The system aims to reduce treatment anxiety while improving safety and outcomes.
Salwei says, “Our dream is that this tool not only improves treatment safety and reduces the long-term cardiac toxicities of treatment, but also helps patients feel more in control during a stressful and vulnerable time.”
Full story: Galvanizing Impact: Vanderbilt’s Catalyst Grants fuel research | Vanderbilt University
