Sniffing out Cancer with Improved 'Electronic Nose' Sensors

The researchers developed a small, breath-diagnostic array based on flexible gold-nanoparticle sensors for use in an "electronic nose." The system - tested on breath samples from 43 volunteers, 17 of whom had ovarian cancer - showed an accuracy rate of 82 percent. The researchers say developing this method further would require larger-scale clinical testing. They add that the approach could also apply to diagnostics for other diseases.

The authors acknowledge funding from the Horizon 2020 ICT Program.

Kahn N, Lavie O, Paz M, Segev Y, Haick H
Dynamic Nanoparticle-Based Flexible Sensors: Diagnosis of Ovarian Carcinoma from Exhaled Breath
Nano Lett. 2015 Sep 11. DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.5b03052