Skin Analytics Receives Award From The NHS Cancer Programme

DigitalHealth.London Accelerator alumnus company, Skin Analytics, has been awarded £2,157,038 by the NHS Cancer Programme – supported by SBRI Healthcare and the Accelerated Access Collaborative – for their Class II UKCA-Certified Artificial Intelligence Medical Device that streamlines the assessment process of skin lesions where there is a suspicion of skin cancer.

Skin Analytics works with the NHS to provide dermatology solutions that utilise Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology. Their innovative AI tool, DERM (Deep Ensemble for the Recognition of Malignancy), is capable of identifying 11 distinct types of skin lesions. This includes both malignant and pre-malignant lesions that can be treated if detected early, as well as benign lesions that may be discharged or monitored further.

By leveraging DERM, patients can be efficiently triaged prior to an in-person dermatology consultation, eliminating unnecessary hospital appointments for both patients and physicians. This system also enables local dermatologists to remotely review referred cases, allowing them to provide patients with the most optimal assessment and treatment options available.

Their award from the NHS Cancer Programme, in partnership with SBRI Healthcare and the Accelerated Access Collaborative, is part of a larger sum of £12.1 million which was granted to a total of six innovations that improve the early detection and diagnosis of cancer. The funding, spanning over 18 months, will help translate the latest research and innovation into practical use within front-line settings, improving overall patient outcomes.

The integration of digital tools such as Skin Analytics’ DERM aligns with the NHS Core20PLUS5 initiative, which seeks to decrease health disparities, as well as the NHS Long Term Plan’s (LTP) goals for cancer. The LTP aims to have an additional 55,000 cancer survivors for five years or more by 2028, with 75% of individuals diagnosed in the earlier stages, at stage one or two. By utilising innovative technologies, these important health care objectives are a step closer to being fulfilled.

Neil Daly, the CEO of Skin Analytics, said: “Everyone at Skin Analytics is driven by our vision to help more people survive skin cancer and to do so in a sustainable way. Right now, we are focused on scaling AI in secondary care patient pathways which helps to drive efficiency and reduce backlogs. This funding is an opportunity to prove both the value in deploying AI in primary care or in direct access pathways for patients. We believe we can help patients access skin cancer assessments seamlessly, identifying them earlier when treatments deliver better outcomes and are more cost effective. The next step in that journey is proving the health economics of those models and that is what the NHS Cancer Programme are supporting!”

Skin Analytics is an alumnus of the DigitalHealth.London Accelerator Programme.

The DigitalHealth.London Accelerator is a collaborative programme funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, the Health Innovation Network South London, the Office of Life Sciences, CW+, the Mayor of London and the Levelling Up Fund.