Laser Breath Analyzer - New Technique Could Help Diagnose Disease

A new technology developed at the University of Colorado at Boulder has demonstrated the capability to detect molecules in a person’s breath that could indicate the presence of diseases, such as cancer or asthma. Currently available technology is not sensitive enough to detect some of the trace amounts of elements contributing to a particular disease’s “signature”, or are not selective enough to discriminate between different diseases with similar signatures.

According to Jun Ye, who led the research, “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...Laser light can detect and distinguish specific molecules because different molecules vibrate and rotate at certain distinct resonant frequencies that depend on their composition and structure”, similar to “ different radio stations broadcasting on separate radio frequencies”.