Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS and the Technical University of Dresden have tested a new approach for investigating disease-related changes in body odor. Using laser-based photoacoustic spectroscopy, they analyzed volatile organic compounds in simple body swabs. An initial study revealed differences between samples from healthy individuals and those from people with Parkinson's disease, COVID-19, and other diseases. The results, published in Scientific Reports, demonstrate the method's potential for faster preliminary screenings in the future.