Dogs have been credited with their ability to detect cancer in humans. But why can’t humans do the same?
Professor H. Haick and researchers at Technion wondered the same thing, creating an artificial nose they claim has the ability of sniffing out different types of cancer.
In a study which analyzed the breathe of 80 individuals (both healthy and diagnosed with cancer) the NA-NOSE (Nanoscale Artificial Nose) was able to clearly differentiate which subjects had head, neck and lung cancer, as well as which were healthy, an article in medicalnewstoday.com notes.
According to researchers, this new innovation can be more reliable, quicker, and cost effective than current diagnostic tools, and with further research, has the potential of being used as a screening method, the site explains.
Head and neck cancer is currently the eight most common form of cancer, and with little screening methods, often left undiagnosed and untreated, which can lead to cancer spreading further into the body. NA-NOSE hopes to put an end to this.
So how does NA-NOSE work?
Researchers explain that their artificial nose “uses an array of five gold nanoparticle sensors and computer algorithms to detect patterns of volatile organic compounds in exhaled breath…” being “1,000 times more sensitive…than most of the current state of the art sensors” (http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/222919.php).
Although further trials need to be conducted before NA-NOSE can be confirmed and used as a proper diagnostic and screening tool, Road Scholar Transport is continuing its initiative to help spread awareness and save lives with its 10 Million Miles to a Cure Awareness Campaign.
Road Scholar sponsors various charities/foundations for all types of cancer including those that affect children (Alex’s Lemonade Stand and The Children’s Cancer Recovery Foundation), women (The American Breast Cancer Foundation), men (Prostate Cancer Awareness), or both (Pancreatic Cancer Action Network). Get involved and help spread the word to get checked by keeping the freight moving at www.roadscholar.com.
What do you think of Professor Haick and his researchers’ invention? Do you think there needs to be more advanced screening methods for cancer than an artificial nose?
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