By taking advantage of the fact
that these ailments cause changes in the mix of exhalents, it seems possible to
establish a sensing protocol able to provide early detection. It would also be rather inexpensive although
it would also be simply a strong indicator.
Yet that is what saves lives.
I have also held high hopes for
blood tomography of proteins yet that never seems to have gotten going with any
success. My first experience with
attempts to harness that goes back to the mid eighties. It again used statistical analysis to drive
the system.
Add in uniform empirical
protocols to medical diagnostics and perhaps we can improve medical care from
the present state of laying on of hands.
True use of computer power is long overdue.
New Sensor to Detect Lung Cancer from Exhaled Breath
ScienceDaily (Dec. 23, 2011) — Tecnalia, through the Interreg
project Medisen, is contributing to develop biosensors capable of detecting the
presence of tumour markers of lung cancer in exhaled breath. This is possible
because of the changes produced within the organism of an ill person, changes
reflected in the exhaled breath of the patient and which enable determining the
presence of this type of marker during the initial stages of the disease.
Some illnesses such as lung and stomach cancer or liver diseases which,
due to the difficulty of diagnosis, have symptoms that are often confused with
routine disorders.
Therefore, in most cases, the disease is only detected at an advanced
stage. New methods for early detection are being investigated as an urgent
need.
Tecnalia, through the Interreg project Medisen, is contributing to
develop biosensors capable of detecting the presence of tumour markers of lung
cancer in exhaled breath.
This is possible because of the changes produced within the organism of
an ill person, changes reflected in the exhaled breath of the patient and which
enable determining the presence of this type of marker during the initial
stages of the disease.
Patients with lung cancer, treated in the Section of Medical Oncology
of the Institute of Onco-Haemathology of the Donostia Hospital (IDOH) have
collaborated in this phase of the project. For that, the Ethic Committee of the
Clinical Research of Euskadi (CEIC) gave the authorization to the Instituto
Biodonostia for the clinical trials
Human breath, whether from a healthy or ill person, is composed of a
hundreds of organic compounds: acetone, methanol, butanol, hydrocarbons,
amongst others. There is not a single specific component in the exhaled
breath capable of acting as a marker for the diagnosis of lung cancer. A range
of biomarkers and its combination should be selected. The compounds of interest
are generally to be found at 1-20 parts per billion (ppb) in healthy human
breath but can be increased 10-100-fold in the breath of sick patients. In
order to be able to detect these changes the development of novel materials was
required.
During the first phase of the project, breath samples were collected by
the hospital staff by a breath collecting device. A detailed analysis of the
most representative compounds present in the breath samples has been carried
out and the family or families of compounds required to act as markers for the
presence of lung cancer selected. Organic compounds have been analysed using
gas chromatograph/mass spectrometry analysis (GC/MS). Then, the GC/MS
results of breath tests have been analysed by statistical and structural
algorithms to discriminate and identify "healthy and "cancerous"
patterns that really provide information for the design of the sensor.
In parallel, novel materials for the detection of the selected organic
compounds have been developed by Tecnalia in order to increase the sensitivity
of the devices. Participating together with Tecnalia in this project were the Instituto
de Tecnologías Químicas Emergentes de La Rioja (Inter-Química) designing
the sensor device and the University
of Perpignan (France
As a conclusion, the biosensors will facilitate the diagnosis of
certain diseases; mainly those located in the lungs, at the initial stages of
the illness, which could increase considerably the chances of survival.
Recommend this story o
Lung cancer is a serious condition which is caused by the uncontrolled multiplication of the cells in the lungs. This can spread to other parts of the body in severe condition. The choice from different treatments available like surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and so on will depend on the extent of spread and the health conditions of the patient.
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