The newest wonder device that detects ammonia leaks in space is now capable of sniffing cancerous tissues in humans. Electronic Nose (ENose), originally developed by NASA, is based on polymer films whose electrical conductivity varies as they encounter different substances. It consists of 16 different polymer films and has the ability to recognize a mishmash of compounds.
Spotting a tumor tissue is predominantly problematic and the doctors need various visual aids to locate cancer tissues. During such occasions a little help from this device could be the biggest boon for doctors. The device has also diagnosed lung cancer and diabetes patients who have breathed into it flawlessly. Thus, ENose is truly marvelous and such breath analysis could have a humongous role to play in clinical practice. I say, various other technologies for disease detection need to be highly encouraged as it could be highly valuable in curing patients.
Via: Gearlog
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This is great news Nithya. Cancer remains hard to detect and any development in that area is a welcome news.
Ya its awesome as the revolutionary electronic nose can detect lung cancer simply by sniffing people’s breath, scientists claim. The invention has major implications for the early diagnosis, which is one of the commonest cause of cancer deaths. The awesome thing is that the device has been developed at the University of Rome, and while still in its early stages it has successfully detected every lung cancer patient it was used on during a trial.
A variety of conditions can lead to specific compounds turning up in the breath. This can include aliphatic acids in the breath of people with liver cirrhosis, and dimethylamine or trimethylamine in the breath of those with failing kidneys. Lung cancer patients exhale a cocktail of alkanes and benzene derivatives, although the reason for this is unclear.
I read that the scientists tested the e-nose on 60 people at the Forlanini Hospital in Rome, including 35 waiting for an operation to remove a large lung tumour. Each test took just over a minute and the nose successfully pinpointed every cancer patient, according to New Scientist. Cool huh??