34: Tech-enhanced Skin & Mole Tracking with Jon Friis from Miiskin

15 Minutes With The Doctor: Learn from Healthcare Entrepreneurs and Innovators

Our guest on this episode is Jon, co-founder of Miiskin, an app that helps the user monitor their skin for signs of cancer. Dubbed a ‘mole-mapping’ app, Miiskin empowers users and helps them become proactive in their skin care. Learn about the app’s simple beginnings and story, their path to using augmented reality and AI for automatic skin imaging, and the importance of privacy. Topics Covered in this Episode: How Miiskin’s technology works The founders personal story. Basic and premium version. “The back is always difficult to keep an eye on.” The platform Initially a minimally viable product, Miiskin turned into something much more technologically advanced. “We have gone from a photolog...to very sophisticated imaging tech.” Machine learning and artificial intelligence The AI supports taking unstructured images of skin and making sense of them. AI can augment the patient’s own understanding of their skin. The data can develop a kind of “filter” to track skin developments. The goal is for patients to come into the doctor’s office with more information. “What you can use machine learning for is structuring the information.” The logic behind the pricing model. $24.95 for a yearly subscription. The cost needs to be low enough to avoid it being a barrier but able to sustain the app long-term. Privacy and security for users and patients All data on the phone and servers is encrypted. Photos are not part of the phone photo library. A premium feature allows users to login and access their photos—even with a different device or if they lose it. Challenges working in the healthcare space Hurdles to overcome in the healthcare space to establish ethos. Language barriers in app that is listed worldwide. Proving the app through hospital or patient-based research. “A lot of people trust the medical validity of a lot of apps on NHS app library.” More information: Mobile app tracks mole changes through photos www.miiskin.com