Apparatus and method for measuring volatile organic compounds in a specimen to detect the presence of diseases

An apparatus for determining the presence of a disease by analyzing a specimen, comprising:

• a vial partially containing the specimen and partially containing a headspace above the specimen;
• means for injecting a gas into the specimen in the vial to cause bubbling of the gas throughout at least a portion of the specimen
• such that the gas mixes with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present in the specimen to create a VOC/gas mixture that is released into the headspace;
• a printed circuit board comprising a sensor array in proximity to a chamber;
• means for collecting the VOC/gas mixture from the headspace in the vial and supplying the VOC/gas mixture to the chamber;
• a pneumatic cylinder coupled to the chamber;
• a system controller computer connected to the pneumatic cylinder, the system controller programmed to control the pneumatic cylinder to control pressure within the chamber to control the supply of the VOC/gas mixture through the chamber
• wherein the VOC/gas mixture in the chamber passes over the sensor array, the sensor array generating an electrical signal as a function of VOCs detected in the VOC/gas mixture;
• wherein the system controller is further programmed to compare the electrical signal to a library of stored VOC signatures, each of the stored VOC signatures associated with a disease to determine the presence of a disease in the specimen.