A press release out of the University of Pittsburgh announced the advent of new technology that may one day help asthmatics know early on when their condition is worsening and thus prevent asthma attacks.
The new nanosensor is a tiny carbon nanotube, which is a rolled, one-atom thick sheet of graphite much smaller than a human hair, that has been coated with a polyethylene imine polymer. This nanotube could be encased in a handheld device that you would breathe into.
What the nanosensor senses is nitric oxide levels. It seems that your nitric oxide level in your breath rises as asthma inflammation in the airways rises. In fact, nitric oxide levels often start to rise 1 to 3 weeks before you actually have an asthma attack, so the sensor could prevent the attack from ever even starting.
In summary, this new technology would be easy to use, portable, cheap, and highly effective. You might think of it as similar to the home glucose monitors that most diabetics use these days. At any rate, I think this technology bears watching. I'm hoping this one makes it past the research stage!
