By Alexandra Thompson Senior Health Reporter For Mailonline
Published: 17:34 BST, 17 June 2019 | Updated: 17:35 BST, 17 June 2019
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Scientists have developed a tube that can measure tissue damage in a patient's lungs.
The probe, which is as thin as a human hair at just 0.2mm in diameter, contains 19 sensors that pick up on abnormal acidity and oxygen levels deep in the lungs.
When put down a patient's throat, the device could enable doctors to 'instantly' diagnose life-threatening lung disease, such as pneumonia, asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
It also allows medics to monitor a treatment's effectiveness in patients, with them currently relying on invasive, 'inaccurate' tests that 'take minutes'.
Scientists have developed a tube that measures tissue damage deep in a patient's lungs. The device (pictured) is as thin as a human hair at just 0.2mm in diameter. It contains 19 sensors that pick up on abnormal acidity and oxygen levels in the lungs that suggest disease
The probe has been created by a team of scientists at the University of Edinburgh led by Dr Michael Tanner, a research fellow in the department of photonics and quantum sciences.
'This research is a great example of collaboration across disciplines to tackle healthcare challenges,' Dr Tanner said.
'These new methods, if taken to clinic, will lead to novel insights in disease biology.
'Our aim now is to expand the number of unique sensors on this miniaturised platform to provide even more information.'
Somebody in the UK dies of a lung disease every five minutes, with one in five Britons suffering from a long-term respiratory illness, according to the British Lung Foundation.
And in the US, around 3.9million people have asthma alone, while 14.8million have been diagnosed with COPD, statistics show.
To aid lung
