Application

Portable, quick, non-invasive detection of biomarkers specific to melanoma

Advantages

• Detects biomarkers specific to melanoma, increasing accuracy of diagnosis
• Operates in real-time, eliminating delay
• Uses vapor or other sample, making diagnosis non-invasive and painless

Technology

These methods of detecting forms of cancer, such as melanoma, analyze the chemical compounds present in a sample of air surrounding potentially cancerous tissue, without a need for prior excision of the tissue. These methods include the chemical analysis of the sample by mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography, gas chromatography, ion mobility spectrometry, or high-field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry. If a mole appears suspicious, a doctor can aspirate a sample of air over it. Analyzing the gas through ambient ionization and separation methods provides a spectrum of the gas specimen. In real-time, a direct analysis determines if the biomarkers for melanoma are present. This eliminates the need for the widely used “wait-and-watch” approach, as well as the need to biopsy every suspicious-looking mole, allowing more focused biopsy procedures.