Researchers developing artificial noses for detecting diseases
June 7, 2012
Bioelectronic Olfactory Neuron Device (credit: BOND project)
European researchers are developing new artificial noses for disease diagnostics.
A multidisciplinary research team with eight European partners is collaborating under a EU-funded project called Bioelectronic Olfactory Neuron Device, dubbed BOND. Their aim is to develop a very sensitive and selective device that can detect and distinguish different types of smells.
This system relies on electrodes binding to olfactory receptors capable of sending tiny electric signals, which are subsequently detected and amplified. The challenge is to develop whole new arrays of olfactory receptors to process different smells for different diseases.
Artificial noses represent a non-invasive, rapid diagnosis tool, which could allow quick disease screening and ultimately significantly transform diagnostics, the researchers say.
Its applications are manifold. For example, prostate cancer could be detected through the analysis of urine samples. The project researchers combined artificial intelligence with sensing technologies to design noses that display greater performance than currently available olfactory technology.
Artificial noses have been used to detect diseases such as urinary tract infection, Helicobacter pylori, tuberculosis, ear, nose and throat conditions and even lung cancer. For example, researchers at the University of Warwick have developed an electronic nose for sensing volatile organic compounds from urine to differentiate between diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease.
Comments (6)
by Mr.X
Singme, your observation is beautiful, but science would be a lot cooler if not in the hands of arrogant psychos and dumb businessmen.
Do it yourself if you are so smart.
by ac
You guys are naive. Why else would they develop these machines unless to use them for policing and violating human rights? This machine, if I understand it, will be able to:
-Sense the presence of illegal substances (of which we can expect a lot more to be added to the federal lists once this is out … perhaps natural plant medicines? perhaps non-Monsanto-grown plant sugars?)
-Smell sweat secretions that contain chemical combinations corresponding to certain regional spices and food combinations for spotting illegal immigrants, ethnicities to be cleansed from western European countries and the US, etc.
-help profile certain types of people who tend to suffer from certain congenital diseases and impurities
Singme, your observation is beautiful, but science would be a lot cooler if not in the hands of arrogant psychos and dumb businessmen.
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by Editor
Policing: right. Countermeasure: olfactory masking. Smell wars?
by Tiresias
I don’t understand your logic at all. Because the government will have technology to sense chemicals they will begin banning natural plant medicines and violating human rights? That is patently absurd. The government has the tech to put a camera in every house and implant GPS trackers under people’s skin, yet they haven’t done that, have they? Simple possession of a certain tech in now way proves malevolent intent, and unless you can prove the gov has some reason to expand their lists of illegal drugs or begin ethnic cleansing (which you most assuredly cannot) this sounds like alarmist claptrap to me.
by Bri
One of the sensory devices that will soon be incorporated into a cell phone trycorter/ cell phone device, that will utilize Watsonesque programs. It will be far more accurate than any doctor today! Coupled with a domestic robot and a large microwave size organic ‘ ink jet printer/ molecular synthesizer’, they will be able to cure just about every malady. Not to mention a whole lot of jobs gone!
by Singme
Yes, a great idea, no doubt cancer smells for sure. I recall hearing stories about dogs barking around people with certain types of cancer.