A team from Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a smartphone-connected sensor that detects lung cancer from a single breath. 

During the recent MIT 27th annual Entrepreneurship Competition, the students (Astraeus Technologies) received a $100,000 grand prize for their L CARD (chemically actuated resonate device), a postage stamp-sized device capable of detecting certain gases that could indicate the presence of lung cancer. The device works just like a traditional breathalyser, requiring users to blow on its sensor. A connected mobile app turns a smartphone screen red if those gases are present and green if they aren’t. 

In demonstrations, inventor Joseph Azzarelli, an MIT doctorate student in chemistry, showed how the breathalyser reacted to a spray from a syringe of lung cancer-signalling gases onto the device. The smartphone screen turned red. The L CARD reacts and sends instantaneous information to the physician that further attention is required. 

The prize money will go toward product development and first-round clinical trials in research hospitals in the area.