Analysis of Olfactive Prints from Artificial Lung Cancer Volatolome with Nanocomposite-Based vQRS Arrays for Healthcare

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new electronic nose using nanocomposite sensors to detect lung cancer biomarkers in exhaled breath, offering a non-invasive diagnostic tool.

Contribution

A novel nanocomposite-based electronic nose is developed for accurate detection of lung cancer-related VOCs in complex breath samples.

Findings

The vQRS array successfully discriminates cancer-related biomarkers in synthetic blends at trace concentrations.

The system effectively distinguishes real exhaled breath samples under varying conditions like smoking and alcohol consumption.

The sensor array shows robustness and reproducibility, supporting its potential for portable disease diagnosis.

Abstract

Exhaled breath analysis is emerging as one of the most promising non-invasive strategies for the early detection of life-threatening diseases, especially lung cancer, where rapid and reliable diagnosis remains a major clinical challenge. In this study, we designed and optimized an electronic nose (e-nose) platform composed of quantum resistive vapor sensors (vQRSs) engineered by polymer-carbon nanotube nanocomposites via spray layer-by-layer assembly. Each sensor was tailored through specific polymer functionalization to tune selectivity and enhance sensitivity toward volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of medical relevance. The sensor array, combined with linear discriminant analysis (LDA), demonstrated the ability to accurately discriminate between cancer-related biomarkers in synthetic blends, even when present at trace concentrations within complex volatile backgrounds. Beyond artificial mixtures, the system successfully distinguished real exhaled breath samples collected under challenging conditions, including before and after smoking and alcohol consumption. These results not only validate the robustness and reproducibility of the vQRS-based array but also highlight its potential as a versatile diagnostic tool. Overall, this work underscores the relevance of nanocomposite chemo-resistive arrays for breathomics and paves the way for their integration into future portable e-nose devices dedicated to telemedicine, continuous monitoring, and early-stage disease diagnosis.

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