[At Wired 2014] #Techforgood: The Wayra company beating melanoma, one picture at a time

By , 3 October 2014 at 06:34
[At Wired 2014] #Techforgood: The Wayra company beating melanoma, one picture at a time
Digital Life

[At Wired 2014] #Techforgood: The Wayra company beating melanoma, one picture at a time

By , 3 October 2014 at 06:34

By Neil Daly, Founder, Skin Analytics

3 October 2014: One in three of cancers diagnosed is skin cancer, leading to 3 million cases of the disease each year. Melanoma is responsible for most skin cancer deaths in the UK, and over 80% of all malignant melanomas are caused by over-exposure to UV radiation from the sun and/or sunbeds.

The service guides you through the process of taking pictures of moles and plotting their location on the body over time to build an overall skin health assessment.

Quite simply, that means the majority of all skin cancers are preventable by undertaking simple sun safety measures. Together with careful management, this could one day see it eradicated altogether.

As it stands, we in the Western World have a way to go before that time comes.

The key to this issue is early detection.

And that is what my company Skin Analytics – supported by Telefónica’s incubator arm Wayra – provides. We create technology that can spot a melanoma early, specifically identifying changes in moles at the treatable stage. It is the most effective way to catch the disease before it gets beyond medical intervention.

Skin Analytics has developed a mole mapping service that uses patented algorithms to provide accurate analysis of changes in skin. Available as an app or through a browser, it uses a combination of alerts, trackers and scans to keep you informed of any changes significant enough to warrant further investigation.

The service guides you through the process of taking pictures of moles and plotting their location on the body over time to build an overall skin health assessment. As not all changes are dangerous, the report helps an individual understand the difference and when it is time to see a doctor. Additionally the doctor can refer to the report to help give a more accurate diagnosis.

he majority of all skin cancers are preventable by undertaking simple sun safety measures

This year we’re lucky enough to have been selected to exhibit at the WIRED conference. WIRED2014 is a two-day London event backed by Telefonica. With insights from over 45 speakers, an interactive Test Lab product area and excellent networking opportunities, it attracts a an influential and exciting group comprising disrupters, inventors, designers, business leaders, policymakers and more.

Together with Telefónica, we will be at this year’s Test Lab demonstrating how the technology works, armed with a UV camera (and sunscreen) to show people what sun damage looks like (and how to prevent it). We look forward to sharing the experience with you post-event!

 

 

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