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breath test for cancer 5 million dollar grant
ORONO, Maine -- Imagine if doctors could diagnose a disease, such as ovarian cancer, with a simple breath test.
Touradj Solouki is a chemistry professor at the University of Maine. It's in his lab where he and other scientists will spend most of the summer analyzing numbers and working to create a machine that can detect diseases in a human breath.
Solouki told News 8, "Currently we're targeting ovarian cancer, but it could be done for breast cancer, it could be done for other types of cancer."
Solouki and his team received a two-year, $500 million federal grant to make this a reality.They have created a machine that has the ability to break down a person's breath into molecules.
"We can get the masses with a very high accuracy," he said.
And by precise measurement and careful comparison, the researchers hope to be able to differentiate between a healthy person and someone facing an illness.
"A big part of our job here at UMaine is to develop the technology to do that. It is to enhance sensitivity. In other words, if there's not a whole lot of chemicals in there, we need to have the technology and instrumentation to do that," said Solouki.
The UMaine scientists have teamed up with a California foundation that has been testing a similar theory using dogs.
The specially-trained canines can detect lung and breast cancers by the smell of person's breath. That's something Solouki said he and his team are trying to re-create.
"These animals are able to detect some pretty complex mixtures and realize there is a difference, so we're also trying to do the same thing, except do it much more controlled and also be able to see what exactly these molecules are," he said.
And while the current machine runs the length of the lab, the goal is to create something much smaller, more convenient and, ultimately, more cost efficient.
"You would develop a smaller sensor, something that's not so expensive, because right now we have to look at everything. That's why it's so expensive. But if we were to develop a sensor that just looked at compound A, B, C. Then that would be a lot less expensive," Solouki said.
But he said he hopes his continuous research will pique the interest of other investors who will provide more funding along the way.
Touradj Solouki is a chemistry professor at the University of Maine. It's in his lab where he and other scientists will spend most of the summer analyzing numbers and working to create a machine that can detect diseases in a human breath.
Solouki told News 8, "Currently we're targeting ovarian cancer, but it could be done for breast cancer, it could be done for other types of cancer."
Solouki and his team received a two-year, $500 million federal grant to make this a reality.They have created a machine that has the ability to break down a person's breath into molecules.
"We can get the masses with a very high accuracy," he said.
And by precise measurement and careful comparison, the researchers hope to be able to differentiate between a healthy person and someone facing an illness.
"A big part of our job here at UMaine is to develop the technology to do that. It is to enhance sensitivity. In other words, if there's not a whole lot of chemicals in there, we need to have the technology and instrumentation to do that," said Solouki.
The UMaine scientists have teamed up with a California foundation that has been testing a similar theory using dogs.
The specially-trained canines can detect lung and breast cancers by the smell of person's breath. That's something Solouki said he and his team are trying to re-create.
"These animals are able to detect some pretty complex mixtures and realize there is a difference, so we're also trying to do the same thing, except do it much more controlled and also be able to see what exactly these molecules are," he said.
And while the current machine runs the length of the lab, the goal is to create something much smaller, more convenient and, ultimately, more cost efficient.
"You would develop a smaller sensor, something that's not so expensive, because right now we have to look at everything. That's why it's so expensive. But if we were to develop a sensor that just looked at compound A, B, C. Then that would be a lot less expensive," Solouki said.
But he said he hopes his continuous research will pique the interest of other investors who will provide more funding along the way.
I read 500million over 2 years in the story put out in the newspaper federal grant
Please note that the correct amount of this funding is ~$500,000 not 500 million. Of course, we hope that soon there will be additional funding for such worthy causes.
Very, very interesting. I have always believed this. Animals can smell cancer. I have heard stories on that. Also my cat seems to act a little strange as he smells my breath sometimes.
They invented a test detecting the h. pylori by a breathalizer. Used to they thought ulcers were from stress and then discovered it was h. pylori.
I think a lot of this cancer is viruses causing mutations in us. HPV is just one of them.
They invented a test detecting the h. pylori by a breathalizer. Used to they thought ulcers were from stress and then discovered it was h. pylori.
I think a lot of this cancer is viruses causing mutations in us. HPV is just one of them.
I am so blown away by this news! Over the past months my former boyfriend used to tell me that my breath was bad, and I would brush, floss, and sigh as the smell just did not seem to dissipate for him. I even eat really healthy foods and combine them so that I have the highest degree of digestion. And now the true potential for why is ovarian cancer! This truly validates me as a non-cootie since that's all I could think of myself during his frequent, "Sorry Babe, there's a smell," comments. I've shared this news with him too (remained friends), but wish I could have known sooner. Hate the times I felt like a leper. Thank you SimplyStar for sharing this news!
missed a few zeros in that it is a 500 million dollar grant OVCA is definitly getting some research money loosened up
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