One of the most common COVID-19 tests involves a long swab pressed deep into the nasal cavities – and while the test can be administered quickly, it has been described as unpleasant and uncomfortable.
Now researchers at The Ohio State University are working on a testing system that would require a simple exhaled breath. Their breathalyzer device will sample breath for key biomarkers of the infection. It would serve as an alternative to current tests that are expensive, can take a long time to get results and require specialized personnel to do the sampling and to analyze the results.
Breath analysis is not really a technique that is used widely in the medical field yet, so it is considered early-stage work.
The new system has a sensor device that detects nitric oxide and VOCs (volatile organic compounds) in breath and can be used to tell you about the onset of an infectious disease.
In addition to nitric oxide, the device examines two other metabolites that could specifically indicate the presence of a COVID-19 infection even in asymptomatic patients. Exhaling once in the breathalyzer may help with earlier detection of the onset of the disease, as well as with monitoring of the severity of the infection, which could help reduce the risk for worsening of the symptoms and allow timely therapeutic intervention.
The COVID-19 breathalyzer involves advances on nanomaterials for detecting specific breath gases at the concentrations of interest for making a diagnosis.
The breathalyzer gives results rapidly (15 seconds response time), it is extremely inexpensive, and it is easy to use so that there is no need for trained personnel to perform the test. The results can be viewed directly on the display or they can be transferred to the physician wirelessly.
If the device proves to be accurate, portable and effective, it could be used to screen travelers before they step on a flight or to test students and teachers before they head back into the classroom. It would also be used in the Medical Intensive Care Units and in every hospital and doctor’s office as a bedside test. The breathalyzer technology may become the platform to help detect metabolic problems like cancer, Alzheimer’s disease or diabetes, by choosing the appropriate biomarker to sample.
News Source: Ohio State University
