How nanotechnology is revolutionising medical diagnostics

The idea is that a patient blows into a small hole at the top of his or her mobile phone, where a carbon nanotube and silicon-based sensor will be able to detect the amount of nitric oxide in their breath. After a few seconds, a traffic-light warning system will come on to indicate high levels of nitric oxide and help warn of an asthma attack. This data can be sent via the mobile phone to a healthcare server, automatically updating the patient’s records and alerting a doctor if necessary.

’The technology is ready, but one of the biggest challenges is developing the infrastructure for all the data,’ explained Victor Higgs, chief executive of Applied Nanodetectors. ’You can imagine if a diagnostic tool becomes credible, there will be a huge amount of information. But with the right systems in place, it could be possible for you to monitor your health at home and automatically integrate that data with the tests done at a doctor’s surgery.’