The Problem

Acne is the number one skin care problem amongst teens, affecting between 79%-95% of adolescents in western societies. Neglecting to take care of an acne condition may lead to permanent scarring or disfigurement as well as long-lasting psycho-social effects like depression, anxiety, or poor self-image/esteem. Recent studies have shown that 56% of acne sufferers are more likely to have feelings of isolation and loneliness, while 5% of acne patients have considered suicide and 5% have higher unemployment rate compared to adults without acne.

At a clinical level, due to the growing number of visits for acne diagnosis, the visit waiting time and prices have rapidly increased (by 50% between 1995 and 2012). For the medical and research community, acne research and treatment development face a lack of quantified, objective information. The majority of dermatologists use subjective, typically administrative methods of classifying acne lesions. Without objective, quantified data, new drugs and treatments are more costly to develop. According to The Association of British Pharmaceutical Industry, an average cost of drug development is €1.45bn. Severe acne is generally treated with strong drugs, e.g. tetracycline, that can induce serious side effect such as skin irritation, burning or redness, peeling, scaling or discoloration of the skin, increased tendency to sunburn, upset stomach, dizziness, light-headedness or even fetal malformations for pregnant women.

Having the right treatment at the right time at the right place will help acne sufferers solve their acne as early as feasible.

The Solution

ScanZ is an easy-to-use handheld device with advanced imaging and algorithms to identify, track, and quantify acne. The imaging device connects with a tablet/mobile application to monitor and analyse acne conditions and severity. ScanZ enables more accurate, objective diagnosis, tracking and monitoring at hospitals, clinics, or remotely from home.

In the Healthcare industry, digital healthcare solutions will become vital in order to ensure a sustainable and efficient health system in both a time and cost effective manner. ScanZ aims to significantly contribute in creating innovative and sustainable principles in the Healthcare market by improving the quality of life for acne sufferers and working conditions for medical professionals.

The ScanZ Digital Assesment Platform

ScanZ is an innovative digital skin-care solution for acne sufferers, dermatologists, and medical practitioners, applying new sets of rules, values and model to the health-care market. Up to now, acne assessment was only possible visiting dermatologist and traditional acne assessment was a time consuming and costly procedure. Today, with ScanZ’s proprietary assessment, there are better, more objective alternatives to help the millions of acne sufferers and thousands of dermatologists.

The ScanZ team is currently refining the technical readiness level to be market ready enabling the device to be clinically and commercially qualified for launch. ScanZ will be available commercially at the end of the Phase 2 grant as a medically certified, IP protected user-centric designed system to be sold to hospitals, practitioners and the community.

The SCANZ project is coordinated by Serbian Myskin DOO Beograd (STARI GRAD) and received a total funding of EUR 1,613,347.