Boulder scientists develop gas-analyzing device for use in medical studies, diagnosis

Yahoo

06-03-2025

DENVER (KDVR) — A group of physicists from the University of Colorado Boulder partnered with the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop a device that can analyze almost any sample of gas to a molecular level, according to a press release from CU.
The device they created is laser-based and was coined the Modulated Ringdown Comb Interferometry. It takes a sample of gas and breaks it down into huge groups of varying molecules. The device is so precise that it can measure the concentration of molecules to parts per trillion.
Former CU kicker Mason Crosby retires as a Green Bay Packer
The team initially worked to better understand how to track gases like greenhouse emissions in a low-cost alternative, as well as using the device to diagnose illnesses.
The group from the joint research institute, JILA, published the research findings in the Nature journal.
To demonstrate the device at work, the physicists applied its function to an age-old science question, 'What is in the air we breathe?'
They gathered breath samples from different people and identified the types of bacteria that were residing in each individual's mouth.
The senior author of the study, Jun We, said the results were the culmination of three decades of research into quantum physics by CU and NIST to develop a device as specialized as the frequency comb laser.
'The frequency comb laser was originally invented for optical atomic clocks, but very early on, we identified its powerful application for molecular sensing,' said Ye. 'Still, it took us 20 years to mature this technique, finally allowing universal applicability for molecular sensing.'
Now, the group of physicists has expanded the team to include researchers at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus and Children's Hospital Colorado to use the Modulated Ringdown Comb Interferometry device to analyze a range of breath samples from the organizations.
This will allow the study to analyze how the results distinguish the breath of a child with pneumonia in comparison to another child with asthma.
Jane Lynch to headline newly announced Boulder International Film Festival lineup
The group will also launch a separate study into the analysis of patients with lung cancer before and after having a tumor removal surgery. The team wants to explore if the device can detect early stages of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease through breath sample diagnosis.
'But this is just the beginning,' said Qizhong Liang, lead author of the study and a doctoral student at JILA. 'Even better sensing performance can be established using MRCI.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.