MELA Sciences is an American medical device company focused on the design, development and commercialization of non-invasive tools to provide additional information to dermatologists during melanoma skin examinations. The company’s flagship product, MelaFind®, is intended to be used when a trained dermatologist chooses to obtain additional information to help decide whether to biopsy certain clinically atypical pigmented skin lesions. The FDA has approved MELA Sciences’ MelaFind® pre-market approval application for use in the United States. Following completion of a successful conformity assessment procedure, MELA Sciences has also been granted CE Mark approval for sale of MelaFind® in the European Union.

In July 2015, the company acquired PhotoMedex Inc. and is planning to relocate its headquarters from Irvington, New York to Horsham, Pennsylvania in Montgomery County.

If caught early, melanoma can be cured.

Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer, responsible for about 75% of skin cancer fatalities, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.

There are an estimated 135,000 new cases of melanoma diagnosed in the U.S. every year.

Every hour, one person in the U.S. dies of melanoma and 15 people are diagnosed with the disease, according to the American Cancer Society.

What causes melanoma?

Melanoma is frequently caused by exposure to the sun, which triggers the uncontrolled growth of skin pigment cells or melanocytes. On the surface of the skin, melanoma can look like other irregular, harmless moles. However, beneath the surface there may be a peculiar cellular growth pattern.

Anyone can get melanoma, though it is more prevalent in certain parts of the country and among Caucasians. Dermatologists are especially concerned because melanoma is the most common cancer in people aged 25–29 and the second most common cancer in teens and young adults aged 15–29.