Biochemical Gas Sensors (Biosniffers) Using Forward and Reverse Reactions of Secondary Alcohol Dehydrogenase for Breath Isopropanol and Acetone as Potential Volatile Biomarkers of Diabetes Mellitus

Electronic sniffers can detect diabetes on the breath

23 April 2018

An electronic ‘nose’ can pick up the scent of diabetes on human breath, according to a paper published in Analytical Chemistry.

A team of researchers, led by scientists from the Tokyo Medical and Dental University, have developed ‘biosniffers’ that are able to detect traces of two chemicals in human breath, acetone and isopropanol, that are linked to type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Testing the biosniffers on 55 healthy volunteers, and 25 individuals with either type 2 or type 1 diabetes, they found the devices could detect much higher levels of acetone in the breath of the individuals with diabetes compared to non-diabetic participants. It also found higher levels of isopropanol in people with type 2, but not type 1, diabetes.

The authors said that the biosniffers could offer a non-invasive diagnostic tool for diabetes and other diseases.

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References

1. Analytical Chemistry 89, 12261−12268 (2018). doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.7b03191