November 28, 2018  Print

Professor Graham Mann of the Westmead Institute and University of Sydney will lead New South Wales in a new national program aimed at revolutionising the early detection of melanoma.

A 3D whole body imaging machine.

Professor Graham Mann of the Westmead Institute and University of Sydney will lead New South Wales in a new national program aimed at revolutionising the early detection of melanoma.

A $10 million grant, announced today, will establish the Australian Cancer Research Fund (ACRF) Centre for Excellence in Melanoma Imaging and Diagnosis (ACEMID).

Fifteen 3D whole body imaging machines will be installed across New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria, providing a significant boost to Australia’s melanoma research capacity.

The 3D imaging system takes an image of the entire skin in milliseconds and turns it into a digital avatar for the clinician to examine. This should improve lesion identification and tracking, while greatly reducing appointment times and healthcare costs.

Professor Graham Mann, who is chief investigator of the NSW arm of the project, said this world-first approach would make an important contribution to tackling the national burden of melanoma.

“Melanoma is Australia’s national cancer and early detection is the key to saving lives,” Professor Mann said.

Melanoma is Australia’s national cancer with Australians experiencing 12 times the global incidence – it is the most common cancer in Australians aged 15 to 40.

“This new collaborative centre will test cutting-edge 3D imaging technology in a telemedicine network to change the way we screen people at risk of melanoma”.

Professor Graham Mann from the Westmead Institute for Medical Research is leading the New South Wales arm of a world-first approach to improve early detection of melanoma.

Each 3D imaging machine will provide up to 3,000 examinations each year, resulting in approximately 100,000 digital avatars within three years from around the country.

Professor Pablo Fernandez-Penas, a leader of ACEMID at Westmead, said this is “game-changing” technology.

“Research using these massive, real-world data sets will get us much faster to artificial intelligence algorithms that will really help us in the clinic”. 

Machines will be installed in urban and regional centres across New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria – with the potential to expand the network Australia-wide.

The Centre is a collaboration led by the University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, with the University of Sydney and Monash University, partnering in NSW with Western Sydney and Sydney Local Health Districts, Melanoma Institute Australia and eHealth NSW.

The grant was announced at a reception hosted by the Governor General of the Commonwealth of Australia, His Excellency General the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC (Retd) and Lady Cosgrove, at Admiralty House in Sydney.