Innovative Sensor Technologies Aid Instant Disease Diagnosis

A group of researchers from Purdue University and the National Institute of Standards and Technology have devised a novel sensing methodology for facilitating the diagnosis of cancer and other ailments instantly.

The researchers deployed nanoparticles for producing a material that has the capability to identify unique biomarkers for the diseases. For instance, acetone is considered a biomarker for diabetes diagnosis and the researchers anticipate that the sensors developed for it will have the ability to detect the disease by human breath. Thus, such research will lead to the development of hi-tech medical breathalyzers for the diagnosis of many ailments instantly, including cancer.

According to Carlos Martinez, assistant professor of materials engineering at Purdue University, they are developing a cost-effective method of gathering diagnostic data about a patient. He added that by employing such data, it is possible to identify the metabolic process of a particular compound, suggesting the possibility of having the type of cancer in the patients and can then be further confirmed by conducting intricate tests and examinations.