SCENT B1 is a patented device constituted by four chemoresistive nanostructured sensors able to vary their conductance depending on chemical substances present in the environment. These sensors are extremely sensitive as they can identify substances at a concentration of tens parts per billion such as volatile organic compounds derived from tumor cells metabolism.
Every sensor answers differently from the others and the aim of the study is to find the best array of sensors able to discriminate among tumoral and healthy specimens.
Different specimens are tested: tissue biopsies and blood samples. Blood samples are collected from patients undergoing surgical resection of the neoplasm. A first blood sample is collected before the surgery and it is compared to a control sample taken from an healthy volunteer. The second blood sample is taken from the patient during a follow-up visit after the finish of any post-operative therapy. Blood samples are conserved at ambient temperature and analyzed by SCENT B1 on the same day of the collection.
Health and tumoral tissue biopsies are collected from surgical resection specimens, kept in breeding ground, cleaned from bacteria, adipose tissue and other contaminants and finally processed in SCENT B1 on the day after the collection.
The four sensors' outputs are combined in statistical analysis in order to define the threshold between health and tumor affected specimens.
