The ASICA+ (Achieving Self-directed Integrated Cancer Aftercare) programme, a digital-health initiative designed to support individuals post-melanoma treatment, will be presented at DigiFest 2026. This event is Scotland’s premier conference on digital innovation in health and social care, scheduled to take place at the University of Strathclyde’s Technology & Innovation Centre in Glasgow on Wednesday 9 December.
Co-led by Professor Peter Murchie from the School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition and Dr Dewei Yi from the School of Natural and Computing Sciences, ASICA+ employs digital technology to assist individuals who have undergone melanoma treatment. The system facilitates systematic skin checks and enables communication of concerns to healthcare professionals.
The programme integrates reminders, guided whole-skin self-examinations, image capture capabilities, and structured reporting, aiming to enhance clinical decision-making rather than replace it. An evaluation involving over 240 melanoma survivors across two centres indicated that ASICA+ users performed more frequent and thorough skin checks, reported increased confidence, and experienced an improved quality of life.
At DigiFest, attendees can experience a demonstration of the technology via smartphone and tablet/laptop, using non-clinical test images. The demonstration will illustrate a guided skin check, provide immediate feedback on image quality, and showcase an example report for clinicians. No patient data will be utilised.
This initiative highlights the potential of affordable, responsible AI to improve patient-generated images, facilitate early action, and enable remote clinical review, particularly benefiting rural and remote communities.
“"We are delighted that ASICA+ has been selected by the Scottish Funding Council for DigiFest 2026. This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the strength of our collaboration across computing science, primary care, patients and NHS partners."
“"We want to demonstrate how responsible and affordable AI can support people after melanoma treatment while keeping clinicians firmly in the decision-making loop. We hope that showcasing ASICA+ at DigiFest will open up new opportunities for partnership, adoption and real-world impact."
ASICA+ is a collaborative effort involving researchers and partners from the University of Aberdeen’s Institute of Applied Health Sciences and School of Natural and Computing Sciences, the University of Stirling, Cancer Research UK, NHS Grampian, and NHS Tayside, alongside patients, healthcare professionals, psychologists, and computing scientists. An advanced prototype of ASICA is currently undergoing evaluation by melanoma survivors. Individuals treated for cutaneous melanoma interested in participating in the evaluation of the current ASICA app prototype can contact the research team via email at asica@abdn.ac.uk.
