AI Predicts Eczema Risk in Newborns, Offering Hope for Early Care

STOCKHOLM, Sweden – February 17, 2026 – A groundbreaking study has demonstrated that an artificial intelligence-powered medical device can predict an infant's risk of developing atopic dermatitis, commonly known as eczema, within the first few days of life. The findings, stemming from a collaboration between medical technology firm SciBase and researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, suggest a future where this common and distressing skin condition could be managed proactively, even before the first red, itchy patch appears.

The research, scheduled for an oral presentation at the upcoming American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) conference in Philadelphia, utilized SciBase's Nevisense device on a group of high-risk newborns. The results showed that the device could successfully identify which infants would go on to develop atopic dermatitis within their first year, marking a potential paradigm shift from reactive treatment to preventative pediatric dermatology.

A New Tool for an Old Foe

Atopic dermatitis is one of the most common inflammatory skin conditions in the world, affecting up to 20% of children. For families, the diagnosis often marks the beginning of a challenging journey involving chronic itching, sleep disruption, dietary restrictions, and a constant risk of skin infections. The condition is also linked to the "atopic march," a progression where children with eczema are more likely to develop food allergies, asthma, and allergic rhinitis later in life.

Currently, diagnosis is a waiting game. Pediatricians and parents must wait for the tell-tale signs of the disease to manifest, a process that relies entirely on clinical observation. The new study challenges this paradigm. Researchers used Nevisense, a point-of-care device that employs Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS), to assess the skin barrier integrity of 19 newborns who had a first-degree relative with an atopic disease.

The EIS technology works by passing a harmless, imperceptible electrical signal through the skin. By measuring the resistance to this signal, the device can quantify the health of the skin barrier, the body's first line of defense against allergens and irritants. A weaker, or more porous, barrier is a known risk factor for atopic dermatitis.

Within the first year, eight of the 19 infants in the study developed AD. The study’s key finding was that these infants had "significantly higher" EIS scores at birth, indicating a compromised skin barrier from the very beginning. The study's abstract, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, concludes that these high scores within the first week of life were "significantly associated with development of AD in the first year of life."

"These are very promising results, demonstrating the potential of Nevisense to predict atopic dermatitis," said Pia Renaudin, CEO of SciBase, in a press statement. The ability to identify at-risk infants non-invasively could empower clinicians and parents to implement protective strategies, such as specialized emollient therapies, from day one to potentially delay, lessen, or even prevent the onset of the disease.

Beyond Oncology: A Strategic Expansion

The application of Nevisense in pediatric dermatology marks a significant strategic expansion for SciBase. The device, which combines its core EIS technology with an advanced AI algorithm, is already established in the field of oncology, where it is used by dermatologists as a decision-support tool to help detect malignant melanoma.

This new research builds on a deliberate and growing focus on chronic inflammatory skin conditions. The Mount Sinai study is not an isolated effort. In 2023, SciBase announced results from a study with the University Children's Hospital Zürich that also showed Nevisense could distinguish between children with and without AD, even on skin that appeared healthy to the naked eye. Furthermore, the technology is part of the "ORIGINS Project," a major Australian birth cohort study aiming to track the development of atopic dermatitis by assessing the skin barrier in up to 1,000 children.

This consistent line of research suggests a clear corporate vision: to leverage a proven technology platform to address a massive unmet need in pediatric care. While other companies may be exploring genetic or biomarker tests, SciBase's approach offers a functional, point-of-care assessment of the skin barrier itself, providing a direct and immediate measure of risk.

The Path to the Clinic

While the results from the Mount Sinai study are generating excitement, the path to widespread clinical use requires further validation. The initial cohort of 19 infants is small, a typical feature of early-stage, proof-of-concept research. The study's focus on a high-risk population was a logical starting point, but the findings will need to be replicated in larger, more diverse groups of newborns to confirm their generalizability.

SciBase is already moving forward. "The findings are especially interesting, as we are simultaneously conducting larger studies on predicting atopic dermatitis in children," Renaudin noted, acknowledging the need for more robust data. This data will be crucial for navigating the regulatory pathways required to bring a new medical application to market.

Having already secured FDA clearance and a CE Mark in Europe for Nevisense's use in melanoma detection, SciBase has experience with these rigorous processes. To gain approval for predicting AD, the company will need to submit comprehensive clinical trial data demonstrating the device's safety, accuracy, and clinical benefit for this new purpose. For a tool intended for use on newborns, regulatory scrutiny will be particularly thorough.

Nonetheless, the prospect of a non-invasive, predictive tool for one of childhood's most pervasive conditions offers a powerful vision for the future of pediatric medicine. If the results from the larger ongoing trials confirm these initial findings, the practice of waiting for eczema to appear could one day be replaced by a simple, painless scan at birth, opening a new chapter in proactive skin health for the next generation.