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Medical Breathalyzer Tracks Disease

Breakthrough technique uses lasers to test for biomarkers of illness

By Sam Gale Rosen,  Newser Staff

Posted Feb 19, 2008 2:19 PM CST
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(Newser) – Diagnosing diseases such as asthma and cancer may become quicker and easier thanks to a new device that analyzes a patient's breath. By shooting lasers as the gas molecules in a person's breath, doctors will be able to analyze the composition of the gas and search for biological markers of disease, reports the Rocky Mountain News.

Levels of certain compounds can indicate diseases and conditions; for instance, analysis detected five times the normal level of carbon monoxide in the breath of a smoker. "The new technique has the potential to be low-cost, rapid and reliable, and is sensitive enough to detect a much wider array of biomarkers all at once for a diverse set of diseases," the lead researcher tells the Boulder Daily Camera.

The process, known as optical frequency comb spectroscopy, involves analyzing the contents of the patient's breath with a laser, informing the doctor's diagnosis.
The process, known as optical frequency comb spectroscopy, involves analyzing the contents of the patient's breath with a laser, informing the doctor's diagnosis.   (Shutterstock.com)
When people breathe, they inhale a mix of gases %u2014 nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, water vapor and trace amounts of other gases such as carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide and methane, said one of the scientists developing the technique. By analyzing the combinations of these elements, diseases could make themselves known...
"When people breathe, they inhale a mix of gases %u2014 nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, water vapor and trace amounts of other gases such as carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide and methane," said one of...   (Shutterstock.com)
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More on the mechanics of the new technique
Colorado Daily

More on what chemicals correlate with what conditions
Reuters

More on the diagnostic possibilities
ABC News

Abstract of the journal article
Optics Express

 
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