VTT, a visionary research, development and innovation partner has aided the development of the SniffPhone prototype and concept with nine other project partners.

SniffPhone, a device which is currently in its prototype phase, enables the early diagnosis of gastric cancer from a person’s exhaled breath. VTT claim that his new method could revolutionise cancer screening all over the world by providing a simple, fast and cost-effective alternative for screening gastric cancers.

SniffPhone is a small sensor device developed for cancer screening that can be attached to a smartphone. It can be used by holding the device in front of your mouth and exhaling onto the sensor to provide a breath sample. The device measures the contained Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) using highly sensitive nanotechnology-based chemical sensors. The measurements are then sent via bluetooth using a smartphone to a dedicated cloud platform, where they are analysed by the appropriate medical personnel.

VTT’s role in the project was the implementation of the platform for transferring data from the smartphone to a cloud-based storage space. VTT has also been building analysis tools and methods for recognising high-risk patients, and VTT has developed a mobile application that guides the user in giving a breath sample and provides the user with a preliminary analysis of the sample. Furthermore, a physician’s analysis tool has been developed to display the analysis results of breath samples. VTT was also in charge of the implementation of responsible research and innovation in the project by such methods as engaging final users and stakeholders in the development work through interviews and workshops and integrating responsible design practices into project operations.

The SniffPhone project is part of the EU’s Horizon 2020 Funding Programme, and on 21^st November 2018, the SniffPhone project was awarded the 2018 Innovation Award by the European Commission for Most Innovative Project.

Related: Owlstone Medical raises funds to bring breath biopsy device to market