SABIC Innovative Plastics Helps PWB Health Ltd. Put the S...

SABIC Innovative Plastics Helps PWB Health Ltd. Put the Spotlight on Breast Cancer Awareness at MD&M with Award-Winning Breastlight

BERGEN OP ZOOM, The Netherlands – In the fight against breast cancer, women can perform self-examinations to note any changes in their breasts. Now, new life-sciences company PWB Health Ltd from Dumbarton, Scotland has introduced, here at MD&M West, the award-winning Breastlight, a home-use device that makes it easier to perform self-examinations by literally shining a light on breast tissue to illuminate internal changes. To optimize the performance and durability of the Breastlight, SABIC Innovative Plastics’ Lexan* and Cycoloy* healthcare resins are used in the housing and lens of the device. These medical-grade materials, combined with value-added technical and design services provided by SABIC Innovative Plastics, helped PWB Health bring the Breastlight to market quickly – giving women a powerful new tool as part of their regular breast awareness routine.

Wideblue, PWB Health's design and development partner won the Innovation and Design Excellence Award (IDEA) 2008 for their work on Breastlight. The Breastlight is being exhibited here for the first time in the United States at SABIC Innovative Plastics’ booth #2209 at MD&M West. This device is an example of how SABIC Innovative Plastics, a pioneer in the development of advanced material solutions, works side by side with its customers as long-term partners to help them deliver business success.

Robin Sayer, Wideblue's product design leader, noted that as a new life-science start-up, PWB Health needed more than just the right materials. “We were looking for world-class suppliers with strong expertise in the medical device field who were willing to spend extra time to help us with technical and regulatory issues. SABIC Innovative Plastics and our production partner, Carclo Technical Plastics, provided a wide range of assistance, including design suggestions, background on biocompatibility and healthcare regulations, and services such as express color matching with quick material delivery. The resin was specially formulated to block red light and SABIC Innovative Plastics was able to provide a healthcare grade of polycarbonate/acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (PC/ABS), which was biocompatibility assessed. As a result, SABIC Innovative Plastics played a key role in making the Breastlight a success.”