Disease-Detecting Breathalyzer on the Horizon

Dr. Nasiri says there’s a higher chance of early detection by analyzing breath, allowing doctors to detect a disease before it enters the bloodstream or before cancer spreads enough to be picked up in an MRI. She notes that lung cancer is typically found at stage 4 giving patients a 10% chance of survival, but if identified early in the breath the chance of recovery could be 80%.

Nasiri believes a base product capable of detecting four to eight diseases is about three years away from hitting the market. Her long-term goal is to develop a sensor that detects 10 diseases in one breath that can deliver results via a smartphone app.