Date: Nov 15, 2013 Source: MDA (
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MELA Sciences, Inc. (formerly Electro Optical Sciences; Irvington, NY), has developed a multispectral sensing device, MelaFind®, which characterizes pigmented skin lesions, or moles, to help dermatologists determine whether melanoma is present.
The noninvasive device gives the dermatologist a reading of the architecture of the skin growth and yields information on the organization of the cells inside it. Disorder in cell arrangement is generally predictive of cancer.
MelaFind results can be used as a data point in deciding whether a mole is benign, dysplastic (pre-cancerous), or cancerous (melanoma). The device is designed for use by dermatologists only, and it has received premarket approval by the Food and Drug Administration for use in the United States, as well as a similar approval (CE Mark) for sale in the European Union.
MELA Sciences was founded in 1989 as Electro Optical Sciences. One of its founders, Dr. Marek Elbaum, focused on so-called "machine vision" technologies connected with the company's Phase I SBIR with BMDO, the predecessor of MDA. Knowhow that spun out of the BMDO work contributed to additional projects involving algorithms with potential for bioscience applications. Electro-Optical Sciences changed its name to MELA Sciences in 2010.
Publicly traded MELA Sciences continues to commercialize and develop its flagship product, MelaFind, a medical device that can be used by dermatologists during melanoma skin examinations.
