A Breath-Based In Vitro Diagnostics for Lower Respiratory Tract Infection

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Medical Diagnostics
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Lower Respiratory Tract Infections (LRTIs) are a leading cause of infectious disease mortality.
• Current diagnostic methods for LRTIs lack specificity, often confusing colonization with infection.
• There is a critical need for noninvasive and accurate diagnostic tools for LRTIs.

Approach:

• Developed a novel noninvasive diagnostic approach using the BreathBiomics™ system for human breath sampling.
• Engineered a high-sensitivity molecular sensor designed to detect human neutrophil elastase (HNE) activity.
• Utilized Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) to detect sensor cleavage by HNE.

Key Points:

• The molecular sensor is specifically cleaved by HNE, a protease indicative of bacterial infection.
• Breath samples from intubated patients with LRTIs were analyzed using the developed sensor and MALDI-TOF MS.
• Successful detection of the cleaved sensor in clinical breath samples confirmed the method's applicability.

Conclusions:

• The developed breath analysis method provides a noninvasive diagnostic strategy for LRTIs.
• This approach offers improved specificity compared to traditional clinical symptom-based diagnoses.
• The technology holds promise for earlier and more accurate detection of lower respiratory tract infections.