This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project investigates a dermatological home monitoring tool. Two million Americans develop skin cancer every year and one in five Americans will be diagnosed with the condition in his or her lifetime. With better skin monitoring, skin cancer can be diagnosed in the earlier and more treatable stages, leading to improved patient outcomes and lower treatment costs. The proposed technology consists of an easy to use imager and web interface that allows patients to take clinical quality 2D and 3D images from the comfort of their homes. These images are uploaded automatically to a web interface and are analyzed to track changes in size and color. The images are also displayed for the dermatologist to review and monitor remotely. The project aims to build, test, and review our next generation prototype. After manufacturing a small number of imagers, a study will be conducted to test their effectiveness as a home monitoring system. Feedback from the dermatologists and patients who use the system will be used to improve the early prototype and prepare for commercialization.
The broader impact/commercial potential of this project lies in the system?s expected ability to make teledermatology practical. This can revolutionize the current standard of dermatological care by allowing dermatologists to diagnose patients quickly and inexpensively. Dermatologists currently use magnifying lenses and digital cameras to image patients? skin lesions, but these methods do not have the capability to take standardized images and log them over time. More advanced equipment exists but is too expensive and complicated for patient use. The technology will capture an untapped market for a low cost skin monitoring solution that automatically creates electronic patient histories. Such a system could be of use in rural or remote areas, including developing countries, where dermatological care is unavailable or substandard. Additionally, the system can create a large database of de-identified images and case files from consenting patients. This resource could be used in future research to find trends among cancerous lesions and to help train dermatologists to diagnose skin conditions using 2D and 3D images.
