AI help for early melanoma detection
Official title: Practical Randomized Controlled Trial of Artificial Intelligence for Melanoma Diagnosis (PRACTA-MEL)
Funded at Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research · NIH-11301007 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses an AI second opinion alongside clinicians to lower unnecessary skin biopsies while keeping melanoma detection high for people with suspicious skin lesions.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | March 11, 2025 |
| Project end | February 28, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $681,611 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA293974-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11301007 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with suspicious skin lesions that their clinician thinks might need a biopsy would be the ideal candidates for participation.
✕Less likely to help
People without suspicious skin lesions, those already diagnosed with melanoma, or those seeking general skin screening without a targeted lesion are unlikely to be eligible or benefit directly.
What this research studies
From your point of view, the project will add an AI opinion to some clinician decisions about whether a suspicious mole or skin spot should be biopsied. Clinics will be randomized so that sometimes your dermatologist will have AI input and sometimes they will not, while researchers collect biopsy results and track outcomes. The team will also survey clinicians and use interviews to learn how easy the technology is to use and whether there are barriers or bias concerns. Results will focus on how many unnecessary biopsies are avoided and whether using AI changes detection of true melanomas.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could reduce the number of unnecessary skin biopsies, lower patient anxiety and costs, and still catch melanomas early.
How similar studies have gone: Early single-center work at Memorial Sloan Kettering and Stanford showed promising reductions in unnecessary biopsies with AI as a second opinion, but a larger real-world randomized test is still needed.
Where this research is happening
-
Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Rotemberg, Veronica Miriam — Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research
- Study coordinator: Rotemberg, Veronica Miriam
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.