Put down the scalpel and bring out the tape.

That’s the prescription from La Jolla’s DermTech, which offers skin tests for melanoma using a special adhesive tape. The genomic tests can quickly identify those who need further attention and reassure those who test negative for the cancer.

One test, called DermTech PLA (Pigment Lesion Assay), launched in 2016. It identifies lesions at high risk for melanoma through analyzing RNA. A second tape-based test, called Nevome, launched last month. It looks for high-risk DNA mutations that occur in melanoma.

A third test, for basal and squamous cell carcinoma, is scheduled to be introduced later this year.

DermTech is seeking about $20 million to fund roll-out of the new tests, said John Dobak, M.D., founder and CEO. Privately held DermTech has about 40 employees, and will be hiring more as it expands, he said.

Also in February, the company’s lab was certified in the state of New York, allowing it to provide testing in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

DermTech’s tape is applied to a suspicious lesion, such as a mole, and then peeled off. The process is painless, feeling like removing scotch tape. Doctors then send the specimen to DermTech’s labs for genomic testing.

“The tape removes the very upper layer of the skin, called the stratum corneum,” Dobak said. “And in that tissue is the genomic information that we analyze to give a result back to the physician.”

A negative result for DermTech PLA, which is by far the most common result, means the patient doesn’t have melanoma. Those patients, 88 percent of those tested, can be given routine care.

But in those 12 percent of patients whose tests indicate cancer-causing mutations, a full biopsy is indicated. The lesion is cut out and microscopically examined to detect the stage of melanoma.

In such tests, the most important consideration is the rate of false negatives, Dobak said. That is, how often the test indicates there is no cancer when there actually is one. Success in treating melanoma falls over time.

“The earliest stage has virtually a 100 percent cure rate,” Dobak said.

There’s less than a 1 percent chance that the PLA test will give a false negative, Dobak said. Standard tests that examine a biopsy sample under a microscope have a 9 percent chance of giving a false negative.

“We reduce unnecessary surgical procedures, and we reduce the probability that there will be a missed melanoma,” Dobak said.

Nevome adds more detailed information about the stage of melanoma, by searching for “driver” DNA mutations found in the most dangerous forms of the cancer. The test has the same false positive rate as PLA, Dobak said.

The non-invasive nature of the test may be especially useful for patients who aren’t suited for traditional surgical biopsies, the company said. These include patients on blood thinners, who can’t heal well, or have multiple lesions.

Nevome’s non-invasive approach may be ideal for patients that are not good candidates for surgical biopsy such as patients with multiple lesions or lesions in cosmetically sensitive areas.