The AHSN Network has supported many innovators to help advance our health and care system. Find out more about successful innovations supported by the NHS.
The incidence of melanoma is increasing faster than any other form of cancer, and it is responsible for the majority of skin cancer deaths. Patients in whom melanoma is diagnosed at stage I have more than a 95% chance of survival compared with 8-25% with a stage IV diagnosis, highlighting the importance of early and accurate diagnosis. Skin Analytics have crafted a series of AI algorithms that can take a dermascopic image of a skin lesion and help identify skin cancer.
Smoke Free is a behavioural change app used to support people giving up smoking. The app incorporates evidence on how to quit smoking and includes more than 30 different behaviour-change techniques. Users are encouraged to stay smoke-free through consistent notifications of progress in terms of time, money saved, health improvements made and more. They can also employ the app’s “missions”, which are daily tasks designed to help people quit and stay smoke-free. A Smoke Free-led, randomised control trial of more than 28,000 participants found that those who engaged with the missions were twice as likely to remain abstinent from smoking three months following their set quit date. A subsequent randomised control trial found that the app’s automated chatbot increased quit rates even further.
Kromek Ltd are a leading developer of radiation detectors for the nuclear, medical and security industries. After introductions via the AHSN for the North East and North Cumbria they have diversified and adapted technology from their traditional sectors into breast screening.
