# PRANAYAMA BASED MOBILE APP FOR BREAST CANCER SURVIVORSHIP: I-CORPS SUPPLEMENT

> **NIH NIH R41** · PRANASCIENCE INSTITUTE LLC · 2022 · $55,000

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Cancer remains the second leading cause of deaths in the U.S. Encouragingly, recent improvements in early
diagnosis and treatment has led to significant increases in the survival rate of cancer patients. As cancer
becomes a chronic but manageable disease for thousands of survivors, the long-term physical and psychological
side effects of treatment protocols is becoming more apparent, as is the impact of these issues on disease-free
or overall survival. As a result of this changing landscape, survivorship care programs and approaches that
incorporate non-pharmacological lifestyle and mind-body interventions are becoming increasingly critical
components of the patient treatment pathway. In this regard, integrative approaches such as yogic breathing
(YB), a collection of techniques to voluntarily regulate breathing, have emerged as an effective complementary
therapy for cancer patients. YB is well-established to induce strong relaxation responses via vagal and
parasympathetic stimulation. YB is easy to practice using virtual tools such as mobile apps especially during the
current scenario of COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing. In this application, PranaScience seeks to
develop a novel group video app for YB that is optimized for home-based delivery of a proscribed YB program
that is maximally effective in promoting peer support, and relieving symptomatic conditions associated with
cancer treatment and survivorship. This intervention is based on compelling preliminary data generated by the
PI of this proposal demonstrating that specific YB exercises induce alterations in the levels of proteins associated
with tumor suppression, immune regulation, neuromodulation, and stress response/ inflammation, as well as
pilot studies performed in cancer survivors and other patient/general populations indicating that participants are
interested in a YB intervention and perceive improvements in well-being after YB sessions. In this Phase I STTR,
PranaScience (1) has built a first production version of a culturally neutral group video YB app and (2) partners
with the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) to pilot test the YB app in breast cancer survivors to
evaluate adherence, feasibility, and acceptability of the app to support symptom management. App usage data
is collected and used to evaluate adherence to the program, and acceptability for symptom management will be
evaluated using a series of defined biobehavioral measures at baseline and following a 12-week implementation
period. Exploratory salivary and fingernail biomarker analysis focused on tumor suppressors, inflammatory
cytokines, proteome level alterations, and stress hormones will be performed at baseline and at week 12.
Structured, focus group interviews of study participants will be used to assess technology perception/ program
feasibility and will inform future design optimizations. Information from the I-Corps supplemental work will be
used to refine app in preparation ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10558811
- **Project number:** 3R41CA254557-01A1S2
- **Recipient organization:** PRANASCIENCE INSTITUTE LLC
- **Principal Investigator:** SUNDARAVADIVEL BALASUBRAMANIAN
- **Activity code:** R41 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $55,000
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2021-06-01 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10558811

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10558811, PRANAYAMA BASED MOBILE APP FOR BREAST CANCER SURVIVORSHIP: I-CORPS SUPPLEMENT (3R41CA254557-01A1S2). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10558811. Licensed CC0.

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