Electronic nose to detect colon disease

Stating that diseases of the colon are on the rise, Jiji Mathew, research scholar specialising in colon cancer, said, “Detecting colon diseases, especially cancer of the colon in the initial stage, serves as a challenge. 

However, it is said that  in the future, an equipment like the electronic nose could help digestive system specialists, thanks to a simple stool analysis which takes three minutes to determine the state of the patient.” “While Crohn’s disease affects the small intestine and large intestine, it can also affect the mouth, esophagus, stomach and the anus. Another digestive disease ulcerative colitis, on the other hand, primarily affects the colon and the rectum. While both conditions are equally dangerous, mixing their treatments can make the condition worse,” stated Dr P Ramesh, a gastroenterologist, adding that the differentiating between the two is important. 

One of the scholars, based out of London, who conducted the research said, “The concentration of these components can be a differentiating marker between certain bowel diseases and their accurate detection by way of non-invasive devices such as the electronic nose would be a great step forward for the detection and monitoring of the evolution of these diseases.” While the device, named Moosy 32 eNose, can distinguish between the diseases, it can also tell whether the disease is active, with close to 90 per cent accuracy, the researcher said.