US and Israel Universities create new device to test for lung cancer
Novel device uses gold nanoparticles to capture and identity molecular compounds of cancer in exhaled breath.
The device was created by research teams from the University of Colorado Cancer Center Technion University in Israel. In its proof of concept stage, studies have shown that the device can identify if a lung is cancerous, and if the cancer cells originated in the glands or on the skin’s surface.
In the studies, each subject blew into a paper bag, which distinguished between superficial exhaled breath from that which came from deep in the lungs. And their deep breath was able to be analyzed by the device, which is powered by an array of gold nanoparticle sensors.
In the release, Fred R. Hirsch, MD, PhD, investigator at the CU Cancer Center and professor of medical oncology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine notes, “The perspective here is the development of a non-traumatic, easy, cheap approach to early detection and differentiation of lung cancer.”
