'Artificial nose' identifies early-stage cancers in exhaled breath

Developed by Prof Haick and collaborators including PhD student Meggie Hakim, the NA-NOSE detects volatile organic compounds in an individual’s breath using an array of cross-reactive sensors, and then identifies patterns in the molecules allowing it to differentiate between the breath of healthy people and lung cancer patients.

According to a statement, the NA-NOSE has been under research and development since the middle of 2007. The aim of the current study is to evaluate the role of exhaled breath as a potential non-invasive biomarker to distinguish between benign and cancerous conditions, which might be used prior to biopsy. The 74 participants all had ‘single pulmonary nodules’ that had been detected by imaging.

The NA-NOSE was 88 per cent accurate in distinguishing between benign and malignant nodules, the researchers report. It is further claimed that the sensitivity of the test was 86 per cent, correctly identifying 86 per cent of the malignant nodules that were present. Its specificity was 93 per cent, similarly correctly identifying 93 per cent of the benign nodules.