LONDON, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- British scientists are developing a device to mimic the human nose to detect diseases without human aid.

Scientists at Southampton University are using variants of molecules found in biology and creating "senses" from electrical charges caused by the binding of the molecules to mimic the human nose, according to a report posted on the science website Alpha Galileo on Thursday.

The receptors to be housed within an artificial membrane remain in a closed steady state until approached by smell molecules, when they will open and transmit an electrical signal that will indicate the nature of the odor.

"Many medical diseases involve odor. Most odors are still mapped by humans. If we can find a way to replace this function with technology, we could use odor detection in many new areas," leading scientist Hywel Morgan at the University's School of Electronics & Computer Science (ECS) was quoted as saying.

The device they are developing could measure different hormones, diagnose diseases and even sniff for traces of explosives, the scientists said.

The sensitivity of the device could be a thousand times better than the currently available electronic nose, they claimed.

The scientists have received a European grant of 450,000 pounds (844,200 U.S. dollars) to create the system that can detect single molecules in biological solutions, according to the report. Enditem