This tiny device could change how Aussies detect skin cancer forever
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Diagnosing serious health conditions is often a challenging and invasive process, leaving many patients searching for better solutions.
Innovative breakthroughs are reshaping how we approach these tests, offering hope for simpler and more effective methods.
Keep reading to discover how this game-changing development could transform healthcare as we know it.
A groundbreaking tool to diagnose skin cancer without invasive procedures has passed patient trials, signalling a shift away from traditional skin biopsies.
For decades, diagnosing skin cancer has relied on skin biopsies—an invasive procedure performed exclusively by medical professionals.
However, up to 40 per cent of these biopsies ultimately reveal non-cancerous results, despite being both painful and costly.
Stefan Mazy, from DermR Health, aimed to challenge this norm by developing an innovative alternative. He explained: ‘The current method of collecting a sample is quite invasive, there are stitches, anaesthetic involved and a large amount of tissue needs to be removed.’
Mazy spent four years creating a microneedle patch that collects a microscopic skin sample to test for cancer. This pen-shaped device is pressed against the skin to gather cells, which are then sent for genomic analysis.
He said: ‘Our approach is highly sensitive and only requires a few cells. It is all digital, fully automated and delivers objective results.’
Recent trials in Western Australia’s Pilbara region yielded outstanding results. The microneedle patch demonstrated its accuracy by detecting elevated cancer-associated genes, matching the control results of traditional biopsies.
DermR is now collaborating with MoleMap, a leading skin cancer clinic, for the next stage of human trials.
MoleMap CEO Michelle Aquilina described the benefits: ‘It’s giving our patients greater reassurance and greater comfort, but equally reducing the need for an unnecessary excision and scarring that could be associated with a benign lesion.’
The microneedle patch has the potential to reduce strain on the healthcare system by eliminating the need for invasive biopsies.
‘Our new diagnostic approach could replace the need for a GP or dermatologist to painfully cut into someone’s skin for cancer detection, when it may not be necessary,’ Mazy said.
The technology is on track for approval from the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) by 2027.
Initially, the patches will be administered by trained medical professionals, but Mazy hopes to eventually transform the innovation into an at-home testing kit.
‘So hopefully one day in the future, it’d be as simple as taking a COVID test at home,’ he said.
This development promises not only to ease the diagnostic process but also to offer a less invasive, more efficient way to detect skin cancer in Australia.
Could this be the beginning of the end for traditional biopsies? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Innovative breakthroughs are reshaping how we approach these tests, offering hope for simpler and more effective methods.
Keep reading to discover how this game-changing development could transform healthcare as we know it.
A groundbreaking tool to diagnose skin cancer without invasive procedures has passed patient trials, signalling a shift away from traditional skin biopsies.
For decades, diagnosing skin cancer has relied on skin biopsies—an invasive procedure performed exclusively by medical professionals.
This new tool may replace skin biopsies. Image source: Abbie O'Brien
However, up to 40 per cent of these biopsies ultimately reveal non-cancerous results, despite being both painful and costly.
Stefan Mazy, from DermR Health, aimed to challenge this norm by developing an innovative alternative. He explained: ‘The current method of collecting a sample is quite invasive, there are stitches, anaesthetic involved and a large amount of tissue needs to be removed.’
Mazy spent four years creating a microneedle patch that collects a microscopic skin sample to test for cancer. This pen-shaped device is pressed against the skin to gather cells, which are then sent for genomic analysis.
He said: ‘Our approach is highly sensitive and only requires a few cells. It is all digital, fully automated and delivers objective results.’
Recent trials in Western Australia’s Pilbara region yielded outstanding results. The microneedle patch demonstrated its accuracy by detecting elevated cancer-associated genes, matching the control results of traditional biopsies.
DermR is now collaborating with MoleMap, a leading skin cancer clinic, for the next stage of human trials.
MoleMap CEO Michelle Aquilina described the benefits: ‘It’s giving our patients greater reassurance and greater comfort, but equally reducing the need for an unnecessary excision and scarring that could be associated with a benign lesion.’
The microneedle patch has the potential to reduce strain on the healthcare system by eliminating the need for invasive biopsies.
‘Our new diagnostic approach could replace the need for a GP or dermatologist to painfully cut into someone’s skin for cancer detection, when it may not be necessary,’ Mazy said.
The technology is on track for approval from the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) by 2027.
Initially, the patches will be administered by trained medical professionals, but Mazy hopes to eventually transform the innovation into an at-home testing kit.
‘So hopefully one day in the future, it’d be as simple as taking a COVID test at home,’ he said.
This development promises not only to ease the diagnostic process but also to offer a less invasive, more efficient way to detect skin cancer in Australia.
Could this be the beginning of the end for traditional biopsies? Share your thoughts in the comments.
