The world-first test that could predict heart attacks months before they happen

The secret is in your saliva.

Researchers claim a simple mouth swab can detect the body’s warning signs of impending heart failure.

A laboratory at RMIT University in Melbourne is the birthplace of a new technology that could save millions of lives worldwide.

On the very tip of a diagnostic stick no bigger than a pencil are tiny sensors that can detect six warning signs of heart disease.

“It’s almost instantaneous, so within a few seconds of the sensor sample being collected, it’s processed by the software and the prediction is displayed,” RMIT Professor Sharath Sriram said.

Heart disease causes nearly one-third of all global disease deaths every year.

The swab means patients can be tested at any time, instead of after they have already experienced a cardiac episode.

It’s said to be 1,000 times more accurate than the current testing process.

The technology also has the potential to detect cancer and other diseases.

It will cost around $30 to have the test, and developers hope it will be available in Australian pharmacies within a year.