A New Innovation Detects Lung Cancer through Breathing
An ultra-sensitive sensor could soon make it possible to easily detect lung cancer through breath. A small trial using a prototype of this device demonstrated that it could accurately distinguish between eight healthy individuals and five lung cancer patients.
This device was designed by a team led by researchers from Zhejiang University in China. It operates by detecting the compound “isoprene,” with low levels potentially serving as an indicator of lung cancer.
However, this subtle change in isoprene levels is challenging to measure accurately, which is where this innovation comes in.
The researchers achieved the required sensitivity in their sensor by using nanometer-sized chips made from a combination of platinum, indium, nickel, and oxygen. When isoprene interacts with these chips, it releases electrons that can be measured precisely.
These chips can detect isoprene levels as low as 2 parts per billion, a significant improvement over current technologies. According to the experiment, isoprene levels in the five patients were below 40 parts per billion, while they exceeded 60 parts per billion in healthy individuals.
What sets this device apart is its ability to detect isoprene specifically amid a variety of chemical compounds and its efficiency in humid conditions, making it suitable for lung cancer detection through breath. However, the researchers emphasize that much work is needed before it can be commercially available.
In their paper published in ACS Sensors, the researchers note that “targeting the large market for lung cancer diagnostics requires ongoing research into sensitive materials as well as the development of data analysis algorithms and techniques for portable device integration.”
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally, primarily due to smoking, causing around 1.8 million deaths in 2020. The disease is often detected at an advanced stage, reducing the effectiveness of treatments, making studies like this particularly significant.
The researchers hope that continued research into the relationship between isoprene levels and lung cancer, as well as the impact of various factors such as age and health status, will help improve the device’s accuracy and advance it towards commercial use.
