January 20, 2017.
A team of researchers from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology has developed a device capable of detecting several diseases simultaneously, by a simple breath analysis.
A sensor capable of diagnosing 17 diseases
Researchers have known for years that it is possible to detect disease by testing the breath of patients. Diseases are manifested in a chemically identifiable manner in the breath. Today, Israeli researchers have succeeded in developing a sensor capable of diagnosing 17 diseases. For this, it was necessary to identify the chemical imprint of each of them.
” From the year 400 BC. AD, Hippocrates told his students to smell the breath of patients to look for clues of diseases like diabetes which creates a sweet odor Commented the American Chemical Society, which highlighted this work. To know what evil we are suffering from, just blow into the device which analyzes the breath and delivers its diagnosis, with a success rate of 86%.
A precise and non-invasive method
This invention will be of interest to researchers around the world, in particular because it is non-invasive. This device can detect 13 molecules found in 8 types of cancer, but also Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, pulmonary hypertension and other diseases. It cannot offer clinical diagnoses, but could be a very useful prevention tool.
” This device, which has just been developed, is a prototype. What matters is that the idea is launched and it is certain that other devices will emerge, as the potential outlets are considerable. », Explains Stéphane Gayet, hospital doctor at Strasbourg University Hospital, to our colleagues in Atlantico. ” Their interest will be to diagnose serious diseases at an increasingly early stage. And we know, the earlier a cancer is diagnosed, the better it is for the patient.
