Disease diagnostics by detection of tell-tale gases in exhaled breath

Shell Global Solutions recently developed a device for measuring small amounts of ethane gas in a human being's breath. Lately medical research has shown that part of the body's response to cancerous cells produces elevated levels of free radicals within the human body. Free radicals are highly reactive chemicals that break down cell membranes into hydrocarbons including ethane. Consequently ethane in human breath provides information on early stages of lung cancer.

Lung cancer often spreads before significant symptoms appear and there are no alternative techniques for early detection of this disease. It is therefore important to provide methods for efficient lung cancer diagnostics. In the project a robust Bayesian methodology for predicting and diagnosing lunc cancer is developed.