By David Shamah: Technion’s New System Detects Cancer 90% Of the Time
Technion’s NaNose catches lung cancer 90% of the time
http://www.timesofisrael.com/technions-nanose-catches-lung-cancer-90-of-the-time/
The nanotech-based detection system is ready for the market, based on the results of a study by researchers By David Shamah June 19, 2014 Quick Watch0:57 A patient uses the NaNose breathalyzer (Photo credit: Courtesy Tel Aviv University) A cancer-detection technology that “sniffs out” malignant tumors is set to be commercialized, after a study showed that a device based on the Technion-developed “NaNose” system successfully detected lung cancer in patients with up to 90 percent accuracy.
At the heart of the device — which looks like a “breathalyzer,” usually used to detect alcohol levels — is a chip based on the NaNose technology developed by By detecting the special “odor” emitted by cancer cells the NaNose system can detect the presence of both benign and malignant tumors much more quickly, efficiently and cheaply, said Dr. Hossam Haick of the Technion, who helped develop the technology. “Current cancer diagnosis techniques are ineffective and impractical.” NaNose technology, he said, “could facilitate faster therapeutic intervention, replacing expensive and time-consuming clinical follow-up that would eventually lead to the same intervention.” Haick, along with fellow researchers Prof. Nir Peled, of Tel Aviv University’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine, and Prof. Fred Hirsch, of the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver, presented the study on the NaNose-based breathalyzer device’s successful cancer detection at a conference in Chicago. According to US government statistics, lung cancer kills more Americans annually than the next three most common cancers — colon, breast, and pancreatic — combined. The reason, doctors say, is because lung cancer is so difficult to detect. The only way to detect early-stage lung cancer is through an extensive process involving blood tests, biopsies, CT scans, ultrasound tests and other procedures. Even then, detection is difficult, said Peled. “Lung cancer is responsible for almost 2,000 deaths in Israel annually, a third of all cancer-related deaths. Lung cancer diagnoses require invasive procedures such as bronchoscopies, computer-guided biopsies or surgery.” “Mostly, the patient arrives for diagnosis when the symptoms of the sickness have already begun to appear,” said Haick, describing the drawbacks in current detection protocols. “Months pass before a real analysis is completed. And the process requires complicated and expensive equipment such as CT and mammography imaging devices. Each machine costs millions of dollars, and end up delivering rough, inaccurate results.” The NaNose-based breathalyzer, on the other hand, doesn’t require anything more than a patient’s breathing into the device in order to come up with an initial diagnosis. Lung cancer tumors produce chemicals called volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which easily evaporate into the air and produce a discernible scent profile. The NaNose chip detects the unique “signature” of VOCs in exhaled breath. In four out of five cases, the device differentiated between benign and malignant lung lesions and even different cancer subtypes. A study conducted by the researchers on the system’s efficacy was presented at a recent American Society of Clinical Oncology conference in Chicago. The study included 358 patients who had been diagnosed with or were at risk for lung cancer. Using the device, researchers were able to sort out the healthy subjects from those with early-stage lung cancer 85% of the time, and healthy people from those with advanced lung cancer 82% of the time. The test even distinguished between early and advanced lung cancer 79% of the time. “Cancer cells not only have a different and unique smell or signature, you can even discriminate between subtypes and advancement of the disease,” said Peled. “The bigger the tumor, the more robust the signature.” Study participants were examined at a variety of locations, including UC Denver, Tel Aviv University, University of Liverpool, and a Jacksonville, Florida, radiation center. Other researchers included Prof. Paul Bunn of UC Denver; Prof. Douglas Johnson, Dr. Stuart Milestone, and Dr. John Wells in Jacksonville; Prof. John Field of the University of Liverpool; and Dr. Maya Ilouze and Tali Feinberg of TAU. The NaNose technology was licensed last year by Boston’s Alpha Szenszor, a maker of carbon nanotube based sensors which is developing the breathalyzer device for the market. The company hopes to introduce it to the market in the next few years, a spokesperson said. He added that a new, smaller version of the device that can plug into a computer’s USB port is also in the works. The device, Peled said, “could prove valuable in helping determine patients who need more intensive screening for lung cancer. We’re hoping to have a device that would be able to give you a go/no-go result, something’s wrong, go get an X-ray.” Watch a video explaining how the NaNose system works: [Video]
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