Device Spots Melanoma Cell by Cell

Device Spots Melanoma Cell by Cell

Early detection of melanoma, the most aggressive skin cancer, is critical because melanoma will spread rapidly throughout the body

A new photoacoustic device will detect melanoma long before tumors develop, according to researchers.

Early detection of melanoma, the most aggressive skin cancer, is critical because melanoma will spread rapidly throughout the body.

Now, University of Missouri researchers are one step closer to melanoma cancer detection at the cellular level, long before tumors have a chance to form.

Commercial production of a device that measures melanoma using photoacoustics, or laser-induced ultrasound, will soon be available to scientists and academia for cancer studies.

The commercial device also will be tested in clinical trials to provide the data required to obtain U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for early diagnosis of metastatic melanoma and other cancers.

“Using a small blood sample, our device and method will provide an earlier diagnosis for aggressive melanoma cancers,” said John Viator, associate professor of biomedical engineering and dermatology. “We compare the detection method to watching an eight-lane highway full of white compact cars. In our tests, the cancer cells look like a black 18-wheeler.”