Technion Professor Hossam Haick is one of this year’s GOOD 100 – the 100 remarkable individuals tackling pressing global issues as chosen by GOOD Magazine.
Israeli chemical engineer Haick is the inventor of a ‘nano-artificial nose’ that can detect cancer and kidney disease.
“Precisely because I am not a doctor I was able to conceive such a unique development – an inexpensive and noninvasive system for diagnosing diseases based on breath. Inspired by dogs, who know how to identify disease but not to tell the person what disease he has, I developed this digital system that accurately diagnoses the disease and its stage of development. Today, we are working on several aspects of the system, including diagnosis of additional diseases and an interface that connects it to a smartphone,” said Haick.
In addition to being included on the GOOD list, Haick was also honored with the Humboldt Research Award in Germany over the weekend.
The Humboldt Research Award, awarded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany, is given to prominent researchers who have significantly influenced their fields of study, provided they maintain some type of cooperation with research institutes in Germany.
The honor is granted in recognition of a researcher’s achievements as a whole – discoveries, theories, and insights.
Haick, a member of the Wolfson Faculty of Chemical Engineering and a member of the Technion’s Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute, received the award for his contribution to the diagnosis of diseases through innovative markers that he discovered in his research at Technion.