A team of biomedical engineers and University of Iowa alumnae who designed a bra for breast cancer survivors won $10,000 from Victoria’s Secret GRL PWR Project to put the bra into production, reports the UI press office. The former students will use the award money to file a patent for the GAMA bra, which is designed to help breast cancer survivors prevent lymphedema, a painful swelling that can occur in the arms or torso after a unilateral mastectomy. The GAMA bra provides preventative compression, along with support for the patient’s remaining breast. Designers Genevieve Goelz, Maria Fernanda Larraga Martinez, Anna Rodriguez and Ashten Sherman partnered with faculty in the College of Engineering, a cancer patient therapist in the Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine and a seamstress in the Department of Theatre Arts when developing the prototype.
