Electronic nose may help sniff out lung cancer in early stages

SYDNEY - Australian-developed electronic nose may become a vital tool in the early detection of lung cancer.

The world-patented invention known as E-Nose is designed to sniff out unpleasant smells and generate an electronic analysis of the strength and quality of an odour.

E-Nose director Dr Graham Bell is working with Sydney's Prince of Wales Hospital respiratory physician Dr Paul Thomas to use the tool to help diagnose lung cancer.

Early lung cancer produces a small open sore in soft lung tissue which is not seen by x-ray but gives off an odour which might be detectable on the breath.

Dr Bell said the group was researching whether the E-Nose, which will be unveiled at the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology's annual convention in Sydney next week, could help detect lung cancer in its initial stages.

"We hope lung cancer may be detectable on the breath of people," Dr Bell said.

"It's been shown with advanced cases that that's so. We're hoping that since we know lung cancer manifests itself on the breath in the advanced stages, we'll be able to catch it with the device in the early stages."

Work on an electronic nose began in the 1980s in the UK but the technology, developed by former Commonweath Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation and University of NSW scientists, has been operating since 2003.

Two years ago, Dr Bell set up his company to commercialise the E-Nose, whose selling points don't stop at detecting cancer.

He has already sold it to a handful of companies, including four abattoirs and two sewage companies.

Dr Bell said industrial operators would be particularly keen to test the device, as it could detect and monitor foul odours before they became a problem for nearby residents, allowing companies to avoid being fined by environmental authorities.

"They'll see the value of nipping a problem in the bud before it gets expensive for the people making the odour," he said.

The E-Nose also could be used in security and military operations, such as detecting drugs in luggage at airports.

"It could be used to detect sniffer-dog type problems, looking for biological materials being brought in through borders ... or drugs," Dr Bell said. "In military applications it could help in sniffing out the enemy or looking for tracks of vehicles."

Dr Bell expects the E-Nose to take off commercially in the next few years as the industrial sector realises the value of being able to detect unwanted odours before they cause environmental harm or a public relations disaster.

"I think it's going to move quite fast. Certainly within 10 years you will see it in widespread commercial use, maybe sooner."

- AAP