DermaSensor wins MedTech Innovator Mid-Stage Companies Pitch Event

DermaSensor Inc. — the creator of a handheld, point-and-click device to quickly assess skin lesions for cancer risk — is the winner of the MedTech Innovator Mid-Stage Companies Pitch Event.

The Miami-based mid-stage company beat out 1,000 applicants, more than 20 of which competed on-site May 10–11, 2022 at DeviceTalks Boston. DermaSensor walked away with a cash prize and admission to MedTech Innovator and its host of benefits.

DermaSensor’s device uses optical spectroscopy. A light-emitting tip non-invasively touches the lesion, receiving and analyzing data from below the skin at cellular and subcellular levels. The technology could help general practitioners better spot lesions that are potential problems before forwarding their patients to a dermatologist for further evaluation.

Research involving 57 general practitioners — included in a poster presentation at the World Congress of Teledermatology in 2021 — showed the doctors were able to catch 13% more skin cancers with DermaSensor.

“Our expert evaluators were enthusiastic about DermaSensor’s ability to enable earlier detection of skin cancer and improve equity of access to diagnostics via primary care providers while addressing the shortage of dermatologists and long wait times for referrals,” said MedTech Innovator CEO Paul Grand.

DermaSensor CEO Cody Simmons was honored by the company’s win. “With the benefit of their support and resources, we’ll be even better positioned to get our breakthrough product in the hands of physicians and their patients.”

Three other companies joined DermaSensor in the final round at DeviceTalks Boston, in which they were questioned by a distinguished panel of executives from Johnson & Johnson, Olympus, Asahi Intecc and BD:

• Sotera Wireless (San Diego) is the creator of the ViSi Mobile patient monitoring system for comprehensive vital signs monitoring. The goal is to keep clinicians connected to their patients — whether in bed, in transport or while ambulating.
• Phagenisis (Manchester, U.K. and Düsseldorf, Germany) has developed Phagenyx, a treatment for the cause of dysphagia. Phagenyx, restores the neurological control of swallowing.
• RevBio (Lowell, Massachusetts) developed Tetranite, a patented, synthetic, injectable, self-setting, load-bearing, and osteoconductive bone adhesive biomaterial. It bonds bone to bone and bone to metal.