You smell like you have MS

Ionescu et al. Detection of multiple sclerosis from exhaled breath using bilayers of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and single-wall carbon nanotubes. ACS Chem Neurosci. 2011 Dec 21;2(12):687-93. Epub 2011 Sep 22. 

Background: A cross-reactive array of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and single wall carbon nanotube bilayers was designed for the detection of volatile organic compounds (tentatively, hexanal and 5-methyl-undecane) that identify the presence of disease in the exhaled breath of MSers. 


Methods: The sensors showed excellent discrimination between hexanal, 5-methyl-undecane, and other confounding volatile organic compounds. 

Results: Results obtained from a clinical study consisting of 51 volunteers showed that the sensors could discriminate between multiple sclerosis and healthy states from exhaled breath samples with 85.3% sensitivity, 70.6% specificity, and 80.4% accuracy. These results open new frontiers in the development of a fast, noninvasive, and inexpensive medical diagnostic tool for the detection and identification of multiple sclerosis. 

Conclusion: The results could serve also as a launching pad for the discrimination between different subphases or stages of multiple sclerosis as well as for the identification of multiple sclerosis patients who would respond well to immunotherapy.


"This is a reposting of the final paper that came out last year as an E-publication."

"The investigators don't realise that they have created a tautology. They use MSers to find MSers. They need to read about how to define a disease and how to go about investigating a diagnostic test."

"Imagine if we allowed this device out in the markets what havoc it would cause?"

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