Graphene biosensor could provide early lung cancer diagnosis, research shows

The wonder-material graphene could hold the key to unlocking the next generation of advanced, early stage lung cancer diagnosis.

A team of scientists from the University of Exeter has developed a new technique that could create a highly sensitive graphene biosensor with the capability to detect molecules of the most common lung cancer biomarkers.

The new biosensor design could revolutionise existing electronic nose (e-nose) devices, that identify specific components of a specific vapour mixture – for example a person's breath – and analyses its chemical make-up to identify the cause.

The research team believe the newly developed device displays the potential to identify specific lung cancer markers at the earliest possible stage, in a convenient and reusable way - making it both cost-effective and highly beneficial for health service providers worldwide.

Using multi-layered graphene, the team suggest that current e-nose devices—which combine electronic sensors with mechanisms for pattern recognition, such as a neural network—could revolutionise breath diagnostic techniques.

Using patterned multi-layered graphene electrodes, the team were able to show greater sensing capabilities for three of the most common lung-cancer biomarkers—ethanol, isopropanol and acetone—across a range of different concentrations.

The team believe this could be the first step towards creating new, improved and cheaper e-nose devices that could give the earliest possible lung-cancer diagnosis.