Student creates innovative breast prosthesis

Cali is a word of Greek origin that means beautiful, and it is the name of the project from which a novel breast prosthesis was developed for women who have had a mastectomy or the removal of a breast due to breast cancer.

This prosthesis is personalized, avoids skin irritation and back problems, and was designed by Erik Adrián Muñoz Arellano, a Chemical Engineering student at the University Center of Exact Sciences and Engineering of the University of Guadalajara, in collaboration with the Center for Economic-Administrative Sciences.

It is designed with the help of computer-assisted software that allows for custom-made manufacturing. The material used is thermoplastic polyurethane, a type of plastic that has the characteristic of being able to be melted and take on new shapes, making it recyclable and not harmful to the environment.

It is an intelligent material with molecular memory, since, if it is deformed, it returns to its original shape and also allows the skin to ventilate, preventing the appearance of rashes due to irritation. The material withstands the adversities to which the prosthesis may be exposed, such as sweat or exposure to chlorinated water in a swimming pool, as well as salt water in the sea; while others made of silicone run the risk of falling apart.

The useful life of the designed product is five years and can cost between 2,500 and 3,500 pesos compared to silicone prostheses, which last up to a year and a half with a cost of 3,500 to 15,000 pesos.

SEEK POSITIVE CHANGES IN INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

Since she was little, Dora María played two things: being a doctor and being a teacher. She learned from her family that it is a human obligation to help those who did not have the same opportunities in life, and it was her father who encouraged her to dream big and never lose sight of the fact that it is possible to generate positive changes around her. her.

Professor Dora María Ruiz Galindo studied Psychology and is founder of the Tanesque Educational Center, AC

Provides workshops and training to children and adolescents. Photo: Special

With more than 50 years of experience working with indigenous communities in Mexico and South American countries, Dora has promoted a comprehensive and intercultural educational approach with children, adolescents and teachers through actions that allow them to make their way in the personal and professional spheres. Through the Tanesque Educational Center (Tanesque means “when the light comes out” in Nahuatl, and for Dora it is not just a word, but a life project.