New materials for screening diagnostics in outer space In an era of space flights, fast medical diagnostics are
It will be sufficient if the person with alarming symptoms
a very significant necessity for people staying in orbital
breaths on very porous carbon material. The material will
stations to respond to all microbiological threats. The lack
absorb everything from the air breathed out by the patient.
of possibility for hospitalisation makes it necessary to ap-
Then, the material will be inserted into an analyser which
ply quick screening diagnostics aimed at undertaking
will analyse the chemical composition of the patient’s bre-
treatment as early as possible. The application of very
ath and a diagnosis will be made through an advanced
porous carbon materials for sorbing the respiratory phase
neural network, which will allow for a very quick decision on
of people staying in outer space will allow for taking instant
what to do with the patient in a space station where access
and precise steps, such as targeted therapy, quarantine
to a fully equipped diagnostic laboratory is very difficult and/
or return to the Earth.
or completely impossible. Such quick and screening breath analyses and their correlation with specific disease entities will allow for considerable reduction of the risk of spreading of potential infectious diseases among the crew.
Andrzej Swinarew, PhD Department of Biomaterials Faculty of Computer Science and Materials Science, University of Silesia in Katowice
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S pac e I n va d e r s / W e Da r e to I n v i t e Yo u
