An international consortium is developing a product that when coupled with a smartphone will be able to screen the user’s breath to find life-threatening diseases.
The SNIFFPHONE works by using micro- and nano-sensors that read exhaled breath and then transfer the information through an attached mobile phone to an information-processing system for interpretation. The data is then assessed and disease diagnosis and other details are ascertained.
The research team is led by Professor Hossam Haick, a scientist at Technion-Israel Institute of Technology who developed the “electronic nose” screening technology that the device will use. That technology can identify individuals from the general population who have a higher likelihood for contracting a specific disease, and treat them in advance or at an early stage.
“The SNIFFPHONE is a winning solution," he said. "It will be made tinier and cheaper than disease detection solutions currently, consume little power, and most importantly, it will enable immediate and early diagnosis that is both accurate and non-invasive. Early diagnosis can save lives, particularly in life-threatening diseases such as cancer.”
The consortium is funded by a $6.8 million grant from the European Commission.
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