NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - Jun 19, 2012) - [ MELA Sciences, Inc. ] (NASDAQ: [ MELA ]), the medical device company that has developed [ MelaFind^® ], a breakthrough device intended to help dermatologists detect melanoma when it is still curable, announced today that it received the American Business Awards 2012 Business Innovation of the Year award, and its Chairman, President and CEO, Dr. Joseph Gulfo, was honored with the Maverick of the Year award.

At the banquet event in New York City, MELA Sciences was recognized as a top organization for its singular innovations with the development and introduction of MelaFind, and Dr. Gulfo was given a silver Maverick of the Year award for affecting the most positive change in his company since the beginning of 2011. A record number of nominations were submitted this year, with more than 3,000 nominees from organizations of all sizes and virtually every industry.

"Being recognized by the American Business Awards is a testament to the great obstacle overcome by the company as a whole in bringing MelaFind to market," said Dr. Gulfo. "We at MELA Sciences are dedicated to continuing our innovative efforts to provide dermatologists with the information and technology they need to take care of their patients."

The Stevie Awards were created to honor and generate public recognition of the achievements and positive contributions of organizations and business people worldwide. The Stevie has become one of the world's most coveted awards, and the winners embody the qualities of innovation, integrity, effectiveness, creativity and growth.

The American Business Awards, part of the Stevie Awards, is the nation's premier business awards program. The program includes a wide variety of categories including management, new products, marketing, public relations, human resources, information technology, web site and more.

About MELA Sciences, Inc.
MELA Sciences is a medical device company focused on the commercialization of its flagship product, MelaFind^®, and its further design and development. MelaFind is a non-invasive tool to provide additional information to dermatologists during melanoma skin examinations. The device uses light from visible to near-infrared wavelengths to evaluate skin lesions up to 2.5 mm beneath the skin. The device provides information on a lesion's level of morphologic disorganization to provide additional objective information that may be used by dermatologists in the biopsy decision-making process. MelaFind has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for use in the US. In addition, MelaFind has received CE Mark approval and is approved for use in the European Union.

For more information on MELA Sciences, visit [ www.melasciences.com ].

About the Stevie Awards

Stevie Awards are conferred in four programs: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide.

Learn more about The Stevie Awards at [ www.stevieawards.com ].