Electric Nose Aims to Sniff Out diseases

Scientists are developing a super-sensitive Breathalyzer-type tool that works a lot like a nose and could one day sniff out human ills.

Rather than detecting blood-alcohol levels—or garlic and onions—the device would identify diseases by sensing chemical patterns carried in the breath. Researchers have linked some of these patterns, known as biomarkers, to diseases as diverse as diabetes, AIDS, and schizophrenia.

Previous disease-smelling systems have been big and difficult to use and had limited capability.

"We're making a small, inexpensive, and robust device to assess the same things, anywhere. It could work in the field, at the mall, in the parking lot, and at home," said Frank Bright, a chemist from the University at Buffalo.