World-leading melanoma imaging research earns national honour
A research network tasked with paving the way to better understand, manage and treat melanoma has been awarded the 2026 Universities Australia 'Shaping Australia' Problem Solver Award.
The Australian Centre of Excellence in Melanoma Imaging and Diagnosis (ACEMID) is made up of 15 research sites Australia-wide, with over 9000 trial participants, including close to 1000 supported at its Victorian base at The Alfred.
Prof Victoria Mar, Director of the Victorian Melanoma Service at The Alfred and Chair of the ACEMID Executive, says unique patient data collected through the hospital's total-body 3D scanner - the Vectra - is being used to create the largest melanoma database worldwide.
"With this data, we'll be able to train the technology with next-generation diagnostic and prognostic algorithms, allowing us to detect and predict skin cancers earlier over time," Prof Mar said of the Vectra, housed at the Paula Fox Melanoma and Cancer Centre and made possible by the Australian Cancer Research Foundation.
"We're also gaining new knowledge about disease biology and working towards training the technology to identify which melanomas are more likely to become life-threatening.”
"Combining imaging, artificial intelligence, genomics and digital health is giving us one of the best shots at understanding, managing and treating melanoma in a way that we really believe will help us beat this disease."
Congratulations to Prof Mar and the ACEMID team for this important recognition of their lifechanging work.
