 |
An affordable and
effective device for detecting skin cancer has picked up an award of £30,000
($40,000) from Britain's best-known inventor. This year's James Dyson
prize for engineering was given to a group of four Canadian graduates, for
their sKan device
|
What started as a final year engineering class
project at McMaster University is now an internationally recognized improved
solution for the early detection of melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin
cancer.
Michael Takla, Rotimi Fadiya, Prateek Mathur and
Shivad Bhavsar, all graduates of McMaster's Electrical and Biomedical
Engineering program, have received the prestigious James Dyson Award and US$50K
to support the development of The sKan, the team's skin cancer detection device.
The sKan was one of only two Canadian projects
that made the shortlist of 20 finalists, selected from over 1,000 entries from
23 countries by a panel of Dyson engineers. Named after the renowned British
inventor, designer and force behind Dyson, the home appliance technology
company, the James Dyson award celebrates, encourages and inspires the next
generation of design engineers.
The sKan assists physicians and the average
person in detecting melanoma by creating a thermal map on the region of
interest on the skin. The device is made up of 16 temperature-sensitive
components called thermistors that look for areas of significant temperature
difference on the skin, which may indicate risk of melanoma.
Current diagnosis methods are purely qualitative
and based only on visual inspection. The sKan provides quantitative information
about skin spots so that physicians can select appropriate patients for a biopsy.
"We came across the issue of skin cancer and how
technology hasn't had the same impact on its diagnosis as it has on other
fields in medicine,"Mathur said. "We found research that used the
thermal properties of cancerous skin tissue as a means of detecting melanoma.
However, this was done using expensive lab equipment. We set out to apply the
research and invent a way of performing the same assessment using a more
cost-effective solution."
The knowledge the team gained from their
undergraduate engineering programme, which has since evolved into the new
Integrated Biomedical Engineering & Health Sciences (iBiomed) programme,
helped them develop and execute their idea.
 |
The gadget picks up on
subtle changes in the skin's ability to retain heat, which can indicate the
presences of cancerous tissue. When an area of interest on the skin is
rapidly cooled, cancerous tissue will regain heat at a faster rate than
non-cancerous tissue
|
"Our education on anatomy and physiology
allowed us to understand the physiological concepts discussed in the research
papers we used," said Bhavsar. "We were also able to design a large
portion of our electrical system based on the knowledge we gained from our
Electrical & Computer Engineering courses."
Hubert deBruin, Co-Director, iBiomed, Michael
Noseworthy, Director, School of Biomedical Engineering and Raimond Wong,
Associate Professor, Department of Oncology worked closely with the team as
mentors while working on sKan for their final year engineering capstone
project.
"They played a big role in the development
of our device," Takla said. "They provided guidance in the design,
made us aware of possible sources of error and provides suggestions when we
came across challenges. Dr. Noseworthy was also kind to offer us his lab space
and equipment for us to complete some preliminary calibration tables."
"I'm elated to see students from our program
developing a start-up that can have direct impact on patient health," said
Noseworthy. "The Biomedical Engineering faculty at McMaster are always
focusing on real life medical problems and how engineering can play a pivotal
role in solutions."
Raimond Wong, who is also chair of the
Gastrointestinal Oncology Site Group at the Juravinksi Cancer Centre, assisted
the team in providing a clinical perspective on the project.
"Engineering students will spend all of
their time and effort to work towards finding a solution" said Wong.
"They're willing to listen carefully to what the problem is and find all
the answers they can get from all sources. It's exciting to work with students
like that."
"We're proud of The sKan team for winning
this international award," said Ishwar K. Puri, McMaster's Dean of
Engineering. "At McMaster Engineering we inspire all of our students to
have big ideas through design thinking, innovation and entrepreneurship. We
educate them to become engaged citizen scholars who will transform the world
and solve those wicked problems our society faces."
 |
A team of four medical
and bioengineering undergraduates from McCaster University in Hamilton,
Ontario, are behind the non-invasive medical marvel
|
The next step for the sKan group is to create a
new prototype that will bring them to the pre-clinical testing phase.
"Our aspirations have
become a reality," said Mathur. "Skin cancers are the most common
form of cancer worldwide, and the potential to positively impact the lives of
those affected is both humbling and motivating."
Originally published on PHYS.ORG and DAILY MAIL UK
No comments :
Post a Comment