Breath/urine test for cancer, diabetes

COLUMBIA, Mo., March 11 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they are working on a breath analyzer or urine test for detecting cancer, diabetes or asthma.

Such a test may be made possible by a device being developed by University of Missouri researchers that can detect minute amounts of a gas vapors associated with certain diseases.

"Little traces of certain gas molecules in the breath or urine tell us if anything unusual is going on in the body," researcher Xudong "Sherman" Fan said in a statement. "Measuring these volatile markers would be a non-invasive way to determine if a disease is present without having to draw blood or complete a biopsy. In addition to the biomarkers already discovered, many more potential volatile markers are still under investigation."

The sensor -- the opto-fluidic ring resonator -- consists of a polymer-lined glass tube and a ring resonator that detects the molecules passing through. As vapor separates and reacts with the lining, light energy interacts with the vapor, making even a small quantity of vapor optically detectable.

"We hope to design a vapor sensor that has ultra-high sensitivity, specific and rapid response to a certain molecule, as well as the ability of on-the-spot chemical analyses, which usually requires the sensor to be small, portable, reusable and have less power consumption," Fan said.