A new technique based on differential mobility spectrometry (DMS), a development of ion mobility spectrometry, is being developed by Dr Paul Thomas and colleagues at the University of Manchester to treat hospital patients with lung disease. The aim is, according to Dr Thomas, that “…one day we will be able to detect a previously undetectable tumour metabolising inside a human lung simply by asking the patient to breathe into a device like this”. “The potential is such that we will not only be able to provide more accurate diagnosis, but we will be able to tailor treatments to the individual. For instance, if a patient is taking steroids for asthma, we would be able to determine whether they were being given the right amount of steroids from the molecules in their breath which relate to the severity of the inflammation in their lungs.”
This research will form part of the new UK National Initiative in Ion Mobility Spectrometry [see Spectrosc. Europe 17(4), (2005)].