New Atlas

Good Thinking

Inexpensive skin cancer detector takes out 2017 James Dyson Award

Michael Irving November 8, 2017

A new device called the sKan has won the 2017 international James Dyson Award. The sKan makes heat maps of the skin to identify anomalies associated with melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer, to enable earlier detection.

sKan, a device designed to quickly and easily detect melanomas, has won this year's international James ...

Medical

Nanodiscs target tumors in potential cancer vaccine

Michael Irving December 28, 2016

Colon and melanoma cancers could soon be treated with a vaccine, if research from U-M lives up to its early promise. Using synthetic nanodiscs, scientists trained the immune systems of mice to better target cancerous cells, killing tumors within 10 days and preventing recurrence months later.

Nanodiscs may be used in a vaccine against some types of cancer, with a new study ...

Health & Wellbeing

UBSafe tells you when to seek the shade

Aaron Heinrich January 19, 2016

A new UV-monitoring device may help take some of the guesswork out of knowing how much time to spend in the sun. Worn on a hat, the UBSafe can tell you when your particular skin type has had just the right amount of UVB rays.

The UBSafe monitors UV exposure, based on your skin type

Health & Wellbeing

iPhone app provides skin cancer risk assessment

Karen Sprey July 17, 2011

MelApp is an easy to use iPhone app that can help in the early detection of melanoma skin cancer.

MelApp is an image-based risk assessment mobile app that assists in the early detection of melanoma

Health & Wellbeing

More ammunition in the argument against solariums

Bridget Borgobello August 25, 2010

Two new studies show that using a solarium significantly raises ones chances of being diagnosed with skin cancer and that the risks increase as the age of solarium use decreases.

Solariums significantly increase the risk of skin cancer

Medical

3D imaging technique provides clearer roadmap to remove deadliest form of skin cancer

Darren Quick August 11, 2010

By combining an imaging technique and a contrast agent, two scientists at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a solution that produces high clarity, 3D images of melanoma.

The 3D high clarity image of melanoma produced using the new imaging technique

Medical

Genetically engineered immune cells watched in real-time as they kill cancer

Darren Quick July 19, 2010

Researchers have genetically engineered a large, well-armed battalion of immune system cells that seek out and attack tumors and watched in real time as these ‘special forces’ traveled throughout the body to locate and attack dangerous melanomas.

Bioluminescence imaging (BLI) of T cell trafficking in live mice used in the study

Medical

Non-invasive infrared scanner to detect deadly melanoma

Darren Quick February 28, 2010

Researchers have developed a prototype non-invasive infrared scanning system to help doctors determine whether pigmented skin growths are benign moles or potentially lethal melanoma.

Johns Hopkins researchers are testing an infrared scanning system to detect melanoma (Image: Will Kirk/JHU)

Health & Wellbeing

Gold nanospheres search out and ‘cook’ cancer cells

Karen Sprey March 23, 2009

Hollow gold nanospheres equipped with a targeting peptide may in future provide an effective and minimally invasive treatment for malignant Melanoma.

Partial view of a gold nanosphere magnified by a factor of one billion. The darker ring ...

Wearables

Solar sunglasses: making the most out of the summer sun

Emily Clark December 18, 2008

These solar powered sunglasses from designers Hyun-Joong Kim and Kwang-Seok Jeong combine form and function to produce stylish eyewear with an eco-twist.

The Self-Energy Converting Sunglasses (SIG)