SniffPhone, currently in its prototype phase, enables early diagnosis of gastric cancer from a person’s exhaled breath. The new method may revolutionise cancer screening all over the world. VTT has participated to the development of SniffPhone prototype and concept with nine other project partners.
SniffPhone is a small sensor device developed for cancer screening that can be attached to a smartphone. In practice, the user holds the device in front of his or her mouth and exhales onto the sensor to give breath sample. The device measures the contained Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) using highly sensitive nanotechnology-based chemical sensors. The measurements are sent via Bluetooth using a smartphone to a dedicated cloud platform, where they are analysed by the appropriate medical personnel.
The new cancer screening method has many advantages over traditional methods: the device is comfortable and painless to use. In addition, it provides a simple, fast and cost-effective alternative for screening gastric cancers. In the project, SniffPhone prototypes have been developed and validated by means of, for example, clinical studies. The next step in the project is finding financiers for this kind of novel cancer screening method. Commercialisation of the device is planned to take place through a spin-off company.
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