Medical group adds another layer

Biocompatibles International, the Farnham-based medical technology group, has acquired the products and intellectual property assets of skin imaging specialists, Astron Clinica, for a total of £200,000.

Astron Clinica, which has gone into administration, specialises in non-invasive melanoma visualisation, diagnostic and data storage systems. Its main products, MoleMate and MoleView, are expected to broaden the product portfolio of Biocompatibles’ Oncology Products Division.

Crispin Simon, chief executive of Biocompatibles, said: ‘Most people are aware of the benefits of timely cancer screening. Melanoma is relatively easy to screen yet typically fatal if detected late. This technology delivers accurate results at an affordable cost in a location, such as a GP’s surgery, which is convenient to patients.’

MoleMate is designed for use by healthcare professionals who are not specialists in the diagnosis of malignant melanoma. The company hopes it will replace the current seven-point test used for examining moles and claims that it will allow GPs to more accurately make a decision to remove a lesion.

The device has been evaluated in three clinical trials on more than 1,500 patients assessed. In the most recent tests at a UK primary care trial, the rate of sensitivity (true positives) and specificity (true negatives) where shown to be 96 per cent and 83 per cent respectively. This is compared with conventional techniques achieving sensitivity of 67 per cent and specificity of 75 per cent.

MoleView, like MoleMate, is a non-invasive visualisation and diagnostic device but with additional features designed for dermatologists and other skin specialists. Both devices are already in use, mainly in the UK and Australia, and are expected to be launched in further global markets throughout 2010.