http://www.news.pitt.edu/news/diabetes-breathalyzer
University of Pittsburgh professor Alexander Star, Dan Sorescu of the National Energy Technology Laboratory, and graduate student Mengning Ding have demonstrated sensor technology that could simplify the diagnosis and monitoring of diabetes through breath analysis alone.
The researchers used a “sol-gel approach,” a method for using small molecules (often on a nanoscale level) to produce solid materials. The team combined titanium dioxide with carbon nanotubes, which acted as “skewers” to hold the particles together. This method effectively combined the electrical properties of the tubes with the light-illuminating powers of the titanium dioxide. They then created the sensor device by using these materials as an electrical semiconductor, measuring its electrical resistance (the sensor’s signal).
The ability to diagnose and monitor diabetes through cheaper, noninvasive methods could completely change the paradigm of self-monitoring.
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