Drs. Selly Saini.

UK researchers have developed an electronic nose for sniffing out infections, borrowing from Chinese doctors' long-held sense for scents. The Diag-Nose, invented by Drs. Selly Saini and Jan Leiferkus of Cranfield University's Centre for Analytical Science in Bedfordshire, England, may one day be a diagnostic tool as common in doctors' offices as thermometers. Working in the same way as the human nose, the device is fitted with an array of eight sensors made of different semi-oxide semi-conductors tuned to particular chemicals, akin to biological smell receptors. The test begins when a patient's urine is mixed with a specially engineered growth medium. As the microorganisms multiply, they produce characteristic odors that give their presence away. Each microorganism produces a different odor allowing Ding-Nose to determine the underlying infection so correct treatment can be given. Results are delivered in about six hours, as opposed to traditional lab tests that can take up to two days. While still a prototyp e, the Diag-Nose was 100% accurate in initial trials. The system has been trained to diagnose urinary tract infections, but may also be adapted for diagnosing tuberculosis, certain bowel cancers, and wound infections. Because it is so sensitive, it can identify the particular bacterium causing an infection and detect the presence of two or more strains.