Early diagnosis of lung cancer is vital for effective treatment, yet the biomarkers indicative of the initial stages of the disease are difficult to discern. Electronic nose devices under development to analyze constituents in the vapor of human breath can improve diagnostic accuracy by combining electronic sensors with neural networks and other pattern recognition mechanisms. More sensitive electrodes generate stronger patterns for neural Schematic design of the flat or patterned multilayered graphene-based sensors for cancer marker detection. Source: University of Exeternetworks to analyze, leading to better detection of cancer biomarkers.

In pursuit of high-performance electrodes, University of Exeter researchers designed a device using patterned multi-layered graphene. The resulting electronic nose demonstrated improved detection accuracy for ethanol, acetone and isopropanol, three of the most common lung cancer biomarkers, across different concentrations. The graphene-based device is also reusable, making it more cost-effective than alternative sensors used in electronic nose devices.

The inclusion of multi-layered graphene in these biosensor systems could transform breath diagnostic techniques and improve patient outcomes for lung cancer treatment. A research paper is published in the journal Nanoscale.