Medical

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Optical 'Dog's Nose' for Fast, Onsite Breath Analysis for Disease

University of Adelaide researchers are developing a laser system for fast, non-invasive, onsite breath analysis for disease, potentially enabling screening for a range of diseases including diabetes, infections, and various cancers in the future. The researchers have developed an instrument they equate to an 'optical dog's nose' which uses a special laser to measure the molecular content of a sample of gas. The system uses a specialized laser – an optical frequency comb - that sends up to a million different light frequencies through the sample in parallel. Each molecule absorbs light at different optical frequencies and therefore has a unique molecular fingerprint.