DERM app approved in Uk to detect skin cancer through artificial intelligence

British tech company Skin Analytics has received approval from regulators for the derm app, an autonomous artificial intelligence system for detecting skin cancer that can be used in smartphones. Detection of skin cancer in the early stages increases the high survival rate. This technology allows patient skin to be photographed and diagnosed almost instantly.

The sun's warm rays are not always good for some people's skin. Europe is facing a pronounced shortage of skin doctors, with around 30 dermatologists per million residents.

Skin cancer is one of the most treatable forms of this disease, if detected in the early stages. British health officials say rates of skin cancer have risen 170% over the past decade and 11% of emergencies have to wait more than a month to visit a doctor.

Skin Analytics is demonstrating new DERM AI technology in London. The app works on most smartphones and requires an extra lens that allows skin photography and almost instant diagnosis.

"The process is simple and straightforward. As you can see, I opened the app that activates the camera and selects the part of the body where we're going to photograph. The quality of the photo should be as good as possible to be assessed by artificial intelligence. After selecting the best photo, the result comes out within seconds, offering details of what it means. The image is stored in the system to be compared to the results that follow."

Artificial intelligence compares the photo taken of the patient's skin to a library of images and then gives the result.

Skin Analytics says DERM has a 98.8% accuracy rate in diagnostics.

Neil Daly, founder and CEO of Skin Analytics, explains how the technology behind derm is already found in most smartphones.

"We can use a range of different smartphones to photograph the suspected skin area. We use a special lens that attaches it to the phone to take a very high quality image. This kind of technology enables many patients to be visited within a short time as a result of smartphone availability."

The European Regulator on Medical Devices has given the green light to use the app, becoming the first autonomous artificial intelligence device to be licensed to detect cancer. Some 21 medical centres in the UK are using the app and have tested about 135,000 patients. Skin Analytics says the technology has helped diagnose more than 13,000 patients with skin cancer.

In development for 12 years, the artificial intelligence application DERM relies on a huge library of data and images that include skin skin, early stage skin and skin lesions that resemble the disease.