Innova Systems customer, Owlstone Nanotech are on the brink of developing a disease detecting breathalyser, Business Weekly reports.
It all started when Owlstone’s founders suspended their PhDs to develop their concept of a comprehensive chemical detection chip. Well, that decision seems to be paying off, as their newly developed breathalyser is pushing the boundaries of disease detection.
Take diabetes, for example. Conventionally, glucose monitoring (although self-administered) is an invasive blood test. With the Owlstone breathalyser, acetone levels in exhaled breath can be used to ascertain blood sugar levels.
The presence of other chemicals has the potential to be indicative of the presence of an associated disease. The Owlstone breathalyser could therefore revolutionise the speed and accuracy of detecting afflicted clinical conditions and diseases.
The company is now working with top researchers to develop additional applications of their chemical detection chip.