On March 15-17, 2016, the Belarusian National Technical University (BNTU) has taken part in St.Petersburg Technical Fair, a multi-lateral federal event showcasing the whole production chain. PTFair encompasses a vast array of specialized exhibition and a comprehensive business program. The Event has spotlighted most prominent developments in the following fields:
- Metallurgy and Casting;
- Metalworking;
- Mechanical engineering;
- Compressors, Pumps, Valves and Accessories;
- Mechanical engineering;
- High Technologies. Innovations. Investments (Hi-Tech);
- Non-metallic materials;
- Services for industrial enterprises;
- Hardware. Metal Products. Instruments.
The BNTU has successfully participated in Hi-Tech Exhibition winning the First Prize and the Gold Medal for the project "Information System MelaSearch for Diagnosing Skin Melanoma by Dermatoscopic Images". The system was developed by the BNTU Laboratory of System Dynamics and Material Mechanics in collaboration with N.N. Alexandrov National Center of Belarus for Oncology and Medical Radiology within the framework of the LLB-2 project "Improvement of the Health Service by means of IT Technology in Dermal and Lungs Cancer Diagnostics" (IHSIT-CD).
The award-winning Research Team comprises:
- Viatcheslav V. Barkaline, Head of the above-mentioned BNTU Laboratory and IHSIT-CD Project Manager, Team Leader;
- Vasily A. Kovalev, PhD in Engineering, Laboratory of System Dynamics and Material Mechanics Yana V. Dolgaya, Laboratory of System Dynamics and Material Mechanics;
- Vitaly A. Liauchuk, Laboratory of System Dynamics and Material Mechanics;
- Andrei P. Korolenko, N.N. Alexandrov National Center;
- Aleksandr G. Zhukovets, PhD in Medicine, N.N. Alexandrov National Center;
- Natalia M. Trizna, PhD in Medicine, N.N. Alexandrov National Center.
MelaSearch consists of the Client portion comprising user interface, a personal computer, means to obtain skin mass lesion images (DermLiteIII dermatoscope and NikonJ1 photo cam), and the Server portion implemented on the BNTU supercomputer cluster. The server portion encompasses image database and diagnostic programs. Once the preliminary diagnosis is obtained, it is passed on to user interface.
Unlike other systems used in melanoma diagnostics (DermLite, VEOSHD), MelaSearch uses 2 diagnostic strategies. The program analyses dermatoscopic criteria for the given image and looks for similar images in the database. Besides, MelaSearch provides for improving diagnostic accuracy and detecting more diseases by adding more annotated images to the database.
Introducing MelaSearch (developed by A.V. Korolenko and Ya.V. Dolgaya) in the network of healthcare institutions will reduce diagnostic errors and facilitate appropriate treatment decisions. What is more, the system can be successfully used by individuals, as it does not require any special medical training, which might be a key to commercial success of MelaSearch.