It is well known that a dog's nose is so sensitive they can be trained to detect disease just from smell. Now, a British company called Owlstone Medical has built an IC chip that duplicates that offers the same functions with electronics.
The implications for this new technology are enormous. Now, a simple breathalyzer-type device can be used to screen patients for what are known as "disease biomarkers."Biomarkers are signs that might indicate you have pneumonia, rheumatoid arthritis or even a whole host other problems including cancer. Knowing this in advance just by testing your breath could lead to diseases being detected way before they become incurable.
In the future, a trip to the health clinic might include a breath sample, which provides a comprehensive analysis of the state of one's health. The devices could potentially even become small enough, and inexpensive enough, that you could do the test in your own home.
Disease-Detecting Breathalyzers
This Tester Measures One's Breath to to Uncover Illnesses
Trend Themes
1. Disease-detecting Breathalyzers - Disruptive Innovation Opportunity: Developing portable and affordable breathalyzer devices for at-home health screenings.
2. Disease Biomarker Screening - Disruptive Innovation Opportunity: Creating advanced algorithms and AI systems to analyze breath samples for the detection of various diseases.
3. Personalized Healthcare Monitoring - Disruptive Innovation Opportunity: Designing wearable breathalyzer devices that continuously monitor individuals' health and provide real-time alerts for potential diseases.
Industry Implications
1. Medical Devices - Disruptive Innovation Opportunity: Developing and manufacturing cutting-edge breathalyzer technologies for medical professionals and at-home use.
2. Biotechnology - Disruptive Innovation Opportunity: Exploring new methods of identifying and analyzing disease biomarkers in breath samples for improved diagnostic and treatment options.
3. Healthcare Services - Disruptive Innovation Opportunity: Integrating breathalyzer technology into routine health check-ups and telemedicine services to enable efficient disease screening and prevention.