Discipline: Technology and Engineering
Subcategory: Biomedical Engineering
Seth Fair - Delaware State University
Co-Author(s): Zaki Harris, Caio Azevedo, M. Hliang, and Amir Khan, Delaware State University, Dover, DE
Precise detection of trace biochemicals in exhaled human-breath using mid-infrared laser spectroscopy is an emerging technology in non-invasive disease diagnostics. Early detection of lung cancer is critical to patient survival as lung cancer is the most lethal form of cancer in the United States with only 16 percent of patients surviving. Often patients do not show symptoms of the disease until its later stages when treatment methods are no longer effective. Thus a cost-effective and portable early detection device has the potential to significantly increase the survival statistics of lung cancer patients. The main goals of this research project are to increase the understanding of the connection between biochemicals and lung cancer and to develop sensors to detect these biochemical species with high precision. The first steps in this project are to develop sensors to detect chemicals such as carbon dioxide, oxygen, and water vapor and also to gain an understanding of the cell physiology of lung cancer tissue in a simulated lung environment. The technology used in this project could allow for highly portable and cost- effective sensors which are highly selective of which biochemicals that they detect.
Funder Acknowledgement(s): NIH INBRE, NSF CREST, NASA MIRU
Faculty Advisor: M. Amir Khan, mkhan@desu.edu
Role: I have worked on development of the sensor systems and calibration of said sensors. Sensor development includes hardware and software design.