SCIENTISTS IN Cork are working to develop a groundbreaking device that could sniff out cancer for early detection.
An electronic nose, under development at the Tyndall National Institute could sniff out specific odours related to aggressive cancers, such as prostate and bladder cancers.
The device works on a similar pattern seen in dogs that have been able to detect cancer simply by smelling urine samples.
The team is working on tiny nanobio sensors to create an artificial sense of smell capable of detecting almost any odour.
An engineering system called nanotechnology (the engineering of functional systems at the molecular scale) is being used by scientists to create the artificial nose.
The key component of the device is a nanocell known as a nanotransducer. The Tyndall Institute, a world leader in nanotransducer technology, has completed the design and has begun fabrication of the first nanotransducer for the project.
Project co-ordinator Dr Vladimir Ogurtsov said the development requires first to identify what kind of odour needs to be detected, before developing a receptor capable of filtering out other odours to allow the device to literally sniff out cancerous cells.
“The part responsible for the smell recognition is a receptor. The receptor can react to a certain smell. After that, a system must be developed to transform that signal. If the receptor reacts to a specific smell, a change on the system of the output of a transducer (a circuit of electrodes) will be noted,” he said.
Experts predict that within five years, a portable device may be available to clinicians to aid in the diagnostic process.
“The main work will be modifying the receptors and the electronic signals to get to a standard that can be used for clinical diagnosis,” Dr Ogurtsov said.