MOLLICool

Cooling therapy is the method of choice for the treatment of sprains to reduce pain and swelling, to prevent tissue damage and hair loss due to chemotherapy, and to treat overloaded ankle joints in horses. Currently, frozen cool packs or stationary cooling systems are used for this purpose, as well as wet cloth in veterinary medicine. However, frozen cooling packs are difficult to regulate, initially being too cold potentially causing frostbite. Stationary cooling systems can provide adequate cooling temperature but render the patients immobile during treatment. There is therefore a need for a portable cooling device capable of providing prolonged cooling therapy at the physiologically adequate temperature.

We therefore develop MOLLICool, a portable cooling system, comprised of a portable cooling device and a fully integrated cooling pad compatible with common ortheses. It is easily connected to the cooling device thermally and mechanically, without the need for any fluid handling by the user. This system enables cooling therapy at physiological optimal temperature in the absence of freezer infrastructure.

Mollicool will develop an affordable, efficient, user-friendly, portable, controllable thermoelectric cooling device which will provide physiologically optimal cooling therapy in the fields of veterinary medicine, sports medicine, orthopedic surgery, physio therapy, dental surgery, plastic surgery, migraine treatment, rheumatic conditions and oncology. Using the Mollicool cooling device will enable users to remain mobile and independent from freezer infrastructure.

The MOLLICool project is funded through the EXIST program of the BMWi (Federal Ministry for Commerce and Energy) and the ESF (European Social Fund). In liaison with investors and industry partners it aims at founding a spin-off to further develop and market the MOLLICool system as a medical device for cooling therapy.