Molescope: An app to detect the onset of skin cancer
Thursday, July 25, 2013, 11:05 AM -
As the sun continues to beat down this summer, the risk of being outdoors with no protection continues to grow. And it’s not just the temperature that plays a factor, but the UV rays that are emitted from the sun.
“The main cause of skin cancer is UV rays. Too much sun exposure can cause skin cancer,” says Maryam Sadeghi with MetaOptima.
Maryam and her team are developing an app called Molescope that aims to help users detect the onset of skin cancer before it breaks out.
By taking a picture of a blemish or mole, users can check to see whether it’s cancerous or not.
“It’s important to be able to empower people who find cancer first, to be able to find it early. When they notice this change with this current solution it’s already too late,” says Sadeghi.
She believes there needs to be a quicker way to diagnose skin cancer, which impacts close to four million Canadians a year. And with more people spending time outdoors, Molescope is an opportunity to get more secondary protection from the sun.
