🌟 Patent of the Week: Shedding Light on Skin Cancer

A Revolutionary Non-Invasive Cancer Detection Method

🧐 What's the Big Idea?

In the quest to advance medical diagnostics, the Naval Research Laboratory has made a groundbreaking leap with its optical approach to detecting skin cancer. This non-invasive method utilizes infrared light to identify cancerous tissues without the need for a biopsy – a game-changer in skin cancer diagnosis.

But what sets this technology apart? At its core, the device mimics human color vision but operates in the infrared spectrum. By illuminating the skin with infrared light and analyzing the reflected wavelengths, it can accurately distinguish between healthy and cancerous tissues. This technique promises not only precision but also simplicity in operation, making advanced diagnostics accessible to a wider range of healthcare settings.

🔍 Why It Matters

Skin cancer, particularly melanoma, poses a significant health threat, leading to thousands of deaths annually in the U.S. alone. In 2020 and at a global scale, close to 325,000 patents were diagnosed with melanoma and 57,000 died from the disease. Current diagnostic methods basically consist of a visual and highly subjective diagnostic test called the ABCDE. These tests are prone to high false positive rates, leading to unnecessary biopsies and anxiety. This novel infrared approach offers a solution: a quick, reliable, and non-invasive way to screen for skin cancer, potentially reducing the need for invasive procedures and enabling earlier detection.

🚀 Stage of Development

This cutting-edge technology is in the experimental stage, with promising results demonstrating its ability to accurately identify various types of skin cancer, including melanoma. The potential applications extend beyond diagnosis, envisioning a future where portable, inexpensive sensors could revolutionize the way we detect and manage skin health. Here’s a great 15-minute presentation on the technology and how it works. I really appreciated how the inventors were thinking about manufacturing and cost as they were developing the technology.

🤝 Interested?

I would recommend reaching out via TechLink to learn more about the status of the patent and the next steps you can take to license it.

📒 The Details

• Patent Title: Methods and apparatuses for detecting cancerous tissue

• Patent Application: U.S. 16/989,792

• Inventors: Kenneth Ewing, Kevin Major, Jas Sanghera

• Filing Year: 2021

🎨 About the artist

Virgil Finlay, an American artist known for his detailed and unique illustrations in pulp magazines.