VIT-A.P. researchers demonstrate low-cost photonic tech for non-invasive disease screening

Researchers from CATS Global in Nashik, Maharashtra, and VIT-A.P. University in Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh, have developed a cost-effective optical sensing method for non-invasive disease screening through breath analysis. The study, published in Scientific Reports on November 6, 2026, introduces a technique called photonic elastic-backscatter fingerprinting, which uses a simple low-power laser and position-sensitive optical detector to identify unique optical signatures of disease-related chemical compounds in exhaled breath.

Human breath contains hundreds of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and gases that can change based on metabolic processes, with variations potentially linked to various diseases. Conventional breath-analysis technologies typically require expensive laboratory instruments, but this new approach demonstrates the potential for developing compact, affordable, and portable optical sensing systems by detecting and classifying disease-associated gas mixtures through subtle changes in scattered laser light.