New sensor patent enables odor detection.CogniScent, a developer of systems that detect volatile chemical compounds, has received a U.S. patent for a DNA-based sensor material that will be used with its innovative ScenTraK[TM] odor detection technology. The DNA-based sensing material makes millions of potential sensor variants available and permits the high-throughput screening High-throughput screening (HTS), is a method for scientific experimentation especially used in drug discovery and relevant to the fields of biology and chemistry. Purpose and method of individual sensors to find optimal sets for particular problems. ScenTraK is a lightweight, handheld, highly sensitive Adj. 1. highly sensitive - readily affected by various agents; "a highly sensitive explosive is easily exploded by a shock"; "a sensitive colloid is readily coagulated" system that mimics the way biological noses work by utilizing 23 biologically inspired attributes to detect, identify, and discriminate many different airborne compounds in real time (approximately two seconds). The biological-modeling approach was derived directly from neuroscience research conducted by Dr. John Kauer and Dr. Joel White Joel White, the son of author E. B. White and New Yorker Magazine editor Katharine Sergeant Angell White was a renowned U.S. naval architect known for his classic and beautiful designs including the W-Class of boats. of the Tufts University School of Medicine The Tufts University School of Medicine is one of the eight schools that comprise Tufts University. Located on the university's health sciences campus in the Chinatown district of Boston, Massachusetts, the medical school has clinical affiliations with thousands of doctors and . The system uses an opto-electronic sensor array, and its output drives software algorithms trained to identify specific olfactory olfactory /ol·fac·to·ry/ (ol-fak´ter-e) pertaining to the sense of smell. ol·fac·to·ry adj. Of, relating to, or contributing to the sense of smell. patterns. Unlike other odor detection approaches, ScenTrak's patented use of an array of broadly responsive sensors enables identification both of specific compounds and of odor signatures associated with a particular application without compromising sensitivity. In conjunction with Hamilton Thorne Biosciences, CogniScent is in the final production phase of a program whose purpose is to develop an innovative series of tools for detection of mold in residential and commercial buildings. The ScenTraK technology is also the core technology behind a product designed for security applications and funded by the Department of Homeland Security Noun 1. Department of Homeland Security - the federal department that administers all matters relating to homeland security Homeland Security executive department - a federal department in the executive branch of the government of the United States . This handheld device detects, identifies, and discriminates between toxic industrial chemicals and chemical warfare agents, and is tailored for use by first responders during contamination incidents after acts of terror. For more information, visit www.cogniscentinc.com. |
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