Sniffing out TB

Tuberculosis is virtually unheard of in the developed world. But in India, this highly infectious bacterial disease claims about a thousand lives every day—the highest in the world.

The research received a $950,000 boost this week, with grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Grand Challenges Canada. That ought to help Dr Nanda’s team with its first task: developing and testing a prototype of the ‘nose’, which they envision as a battery-powered handheld device.