Westmead Dermatology Westmead Hospital is one of sites for this amazing project and Prof Pablo Fernandez-Peñas is the NSW Lead for the ACRF ACEMID.
The project will install a Vectra WB360 whole body 3D imaging system in the Department of Dermatology (Westmead Hospital). The system will be used for a number of research projects in subjects with pigmented lesions (moles). If want to participate in our studies and get your moles scan, please contact the ACEMID team.
More than 1,700 people lose their lives to melanoma each year, a burden which could be prevented with better screening and early detection programs to ensure a timely intervention for at-risk individuals.
Transformation of early detection is the key to reduce the burden on patients, families and the healthcare system and deliver on our vision of a “World Without Melanoma”.
The Australian Cancer Research Foundation (ACRF) Australian Centre of Excellence in Melanoma Imaging and Diagnosis (ACEMID) will build research capacity towards the early detection of melanoma through the ACRF’s $10 million investment in state-of-the-art 3D total body skin imaging systems and technology infrastructure.
ACEMID will establish a network of 15 3D total body skin imaging systems and technology infrastructure to form a multidisciplinary and multi-site centre of excellence; the first of its kind internationally.
It will integrate and leverage world-class research expertise to provide technologically disruptive and reliable solutions for the early diagnosis of melanoma, particularly for people at high risk, in both metropolitan and regional areas.
ACRF ACEMID will operate via an integrated telemedicine network, which will link urban, regional and rural hospitals, to deliver 15 interconnected dermatology research nodes across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.
The 3D total body skin imaging systems, in conjunction with integrated and data informed software and the associated telehealth network, are positioned to revolutionise melanoma early detection enabling precision imaging and standardised diagnosis methodology.
The ACEMID National Repository will form the foundation for establishing priority algorithms and deep-learning capabilities to inform further research and digital health initiatives to contribute to a “World Without Melanoma”.
ACRF ACEMID. Building Research Capacity towards Early Detection of Melanoma
Additionally, we will be improving our care to patients with melanoma and at high-risk of developing melanoma. You can contact the Department of Dermatology at Westmead Hospital or the ACEMID team if you are interested in attending our clinics.
The system will open opportunities for other research studies and collaborations, and will bring together dermatologists, nurses, clinicians, pathologists, image analysts, data scientists, biomarker biologists, epidemiologists, public health specialists, consumers.
You can read more about the project and its implementation in NSW in The University of Sydney website, and about the whole project in the ACRF ACEMID site.
