Cork institute’s nano-device capable of sniffing out cancer

IRISH scientists have developed a smelling device which could lead to the early detection of cancer.

Just like some dogs have been able to detect cancer simply by smelling urine samples, the electronic nose under development at Tyndall National Institute in Cork offers the potential to identify aggressive cancers, such as those of the prostate and bladder, at an early stage.

While work on similar technology has been done internationally, this is the first project working with nanomaterials, objects on a scale of a millionth of a millimetre in diameter.