George Zouridakis, an engineering technology professor at the University of Houston, has developed an iPhone app called ‘DermoScreen’ that checks if you have cancer by snapping a photograph of your skin.
Aside from the software, the app uses a special magnifying lens called a dermoscope attachment to illuminate your skin in a certain way. Take a picture of the area and the app will provide a diagnosis in seconds. It has achieved an 85% accuracy rate so far, similar to that of dermatologists.
The traditional method of cancer diagnosis involves removing all or part of a suspicious growth and examining the tissue under a microscope–if the app makes it to market, it could provide cheap and effective cancer screenings for millions of people without access to medical specialists.
The ‘DermoScreen’ app is currently being improved on to test for a flesh-eating bacteria in Africa called Buruli ulcer, with the help of a US$412,500 grant from the National Institutes of Health.
Find out more about the app here.
[via PSFK and The University of Houston]