SINGAPOREAN healthcare company Firma Skin is moving to South Australia for the global rollout of its skin cancer detection app.

It is opening its new head office in the state’s capital Adelaide where it will work with Health Industries South Australia and the city’s quality computer programmers to grow its international presence.

Firma Skin’s detection app, Derma Analytics, uses artificial intelligence technology to help doctors diagnose, manage and treat skin cancer.

Founder Steven Fang said South Australia’s pool of “world-class” talent was one of the main reasons it chose to relocate ahead of the app’s launch.

“We look forward to developing other innovative life-saving technology right here in Adelaide with the support of Health Industries South Australia,” he said.

“This includes working on big data analysis and healthcare surveillance know-how.”

Users take photos of their skin with the smartphone app Derma Analytics.

The app analyses these images with its pattern-matching technology to detect melanoma.

The results are then forwarded to the patient’s doctor, creating a more efficient treatment process.

General Practitioners have a 76 to 86 per cent success rate in diagnosing melanoma but Derma Analytics increases that number by about 15 per cent according to Singapore’s National Skin Centre.

Firma Skin has established partnerships with South Australian doctors, including Marden GP Dr Andrew Kellie, who will be one of the first in Australia to use the ground-breaking technology.

Dr Kellie said Derma Analytics helped increase access to medical help when it was needed and would enable patients to track skin changes with great accuracy.

“The Derma Analytics platform lets doctors monitor patients’ skin lesions remotely, reassuring patients or prompting them to seek treatment when required,” he said.

“We’re glad Firma Skin chose East Adelaide Healthcare to be world-first users of Derma Analytics technology, allowing us to help set a new standard in early detection and intervention of potentially life-threatening skin cancers, especially melanomas.”

Australia has the highest incidence of skin cancer in the world with about two-thirds of the population diagnosed with skin cancer by the time they are 70 years old.

Adelaide is gaining a reputation for app development as global entrepreneurs look to take advantage of its expertise and lifestyle advantages.

These innovations include an emergency-messaging app that recently connected schools with thousands of families during a recent Australian cyclone, an Uber-style app increasing access to personal carers and a music-app that harnesses the power of social media to create a social listening experience.