NASA's 'Electronic Nose' Could Be Used For Brain Cancer Detection

April 30, 2009 6:46 a.m. EST

Pasadena, CA (AHN) - An "electronic nose" developed by NASA scientists to monitor air quality on the Space Shuttle Endeavor may also be used to detect the difference between normal and cancerous brain cells.

Neurosurgeons with the City of Hope Cancer Center and scientific researchers from the Brain Mapping Foundation and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, both in California, used the device to investigate the role of cellular odors in cellular trafficking, brain cancer metastasis, stem cell migration, and the potential of the device for use in brain imaging, according to a press release.

The device, which will be installed in the International Space Station, can detect contaminants in the air within a range of one to about 10,000 parts per million.

In this latest study into its potential as a cancer detector, researchers said it has demonstrated its ability to sense differences in odor from normal cancer cells versus malignant cells, according to the media release.

The results of the study will be presented at the 6th Annual World Congress for Brain Mapping & Imaging Guided Therapy at Harvard Medical School in August.