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Science Star Trek tricorder device may someday smell skin cancer
Science Star Trek tricorder device may someday smell skin cancer | Star Trek tricorder device may someday smell skin cancer |
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| by William Atkins | |
| Friday, 22 August 2008 | |
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Page 2 of 2 In their study, the team analyzed eleven patients diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma (BCC), a very common form of skin cancer that can be disfiguring but not life-threatening. The researchers found a distinct “odor profile” is present in humans with skin cancer. The profiles of both groups contained the same odors, the researchers stated; however, members of the cancer group gave off "different amounts" of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) than the non-cancer group. Gallagher states, "We found a different profile of chemicals above tumor sites relative to healthy skin. The same chemicals are present, but at skin cancer sites some chemicals are increased, while others are decreased compared to healthy individuals.” [ACS] She adds, “This research opens doors to potential new approaches to skin cancer diagnosis based on the profile of skin odors, hopefully leading to more rapid and non-invasive detection and diagnosis of this prevalent disease.” [ACS] Gallagher states in the WebMD article “Odor Test Sniffs Out Skin Cancer: 'Electronic Nose' Smells Skin Cancer's 'Odor Profile'" that she hopes further researcher would produce an “electronic nose – a nanosensor that can detect tiny quantities of volatile compounds – to detect skin cancers” similar to the “fictional ‘tricorder’ in the Star Trek TV series.” The medical hand-held tricorder in Star Trek was used to diagnose diseases and collect bodily information in the futuristic 23rd and 24th centuries. The researchers have developed an “odor profile” only for the cancer basal cell carcinoma. They are now working on similar odor profiles for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and melanoma. The conclusions of the Gallagher team were presented as a paper on Wednesday, August 20th, at the 236th annual meeting of the American Chemical Society, which was held Aug. 17-21, 2008, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. Gallagher conducted her research while as a postdoctoral fellow at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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