Cancer breath test completes first clinical...

Cancer breath test completes first clinical trials.

California startup company Metabolix has completed a trial showing an 83% success rate in diagnosing lung cancer, through a simple breath test. The next phase of trials is using equipment that is 1,000 times more sensitive, potentially allowing for 90% accuracy - which CEO Paul Rhodes believes will be high enough to get the test onto the market.

Rhodes expects a test to cost $75. Also, because it’s not specific to a particular group of chemicals, the Metabolomx sensor could, in theory at least, be used to screen for any disease that has a metabolic breath signature—the company is currently exploring tests for other diseases, including tuberculosis. “A breath signature could give a snapshot of overall health,” Rhodes says.

technologyreview.com