Chronic respiratory diseases examples include asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). They affect over 500M people worldwide and the annual cost of treatment in the US alone is almost $60B. Although these diseases are common, diagnosis of respiratory diseases is complex as the symptoms experienced overlap considerably, and are driven by multiple subtypes with different underlying biology.
At present, treatment relies on trial and error, where each error costs healthcare systems huge amounts of money and has a serious impact on a patient’s quality of life. A non-invasive breath test that is easy to administer and suitable for a wide range of patients would enable the right treatment to be offered sooner and would have a profound impact on both associated costs and quality of care.
Breath is in direct contact with the respiratory tract, and so is especially enriched for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) originating from respiratory processes. Breath therefore offers a unique roster of potential biomarkers that can be collected non-invasively. Volatile compounds in exhaled breath have repeatedly shown promise in differentiating respiratory disease subtypes such as asthma. Some of these VOCs originate directly from the underlying inflammatory responses that cause these diseases, making them especially reliable indicators for respiratory disease diagnosis.
Case Studies
A detailed look at some of the research studies investigating biomarkers for different types respiratory diseases.
Breath VOC biomarkers for Cystic Fibrosis – steps towards the development of bacterial infection biomarkers for clinical use
VOC biomarkers indicative of Eosinophilic Inflammation in Asthma
FURTHER READING
Other recommended reading:
- DOCUMENT: Quick Start Guide: Incorporating Breath Analysis into Respiratory Disease Research
- PAPER: EMBER researchers analyze exhaled breath metabolites and distinct diagnostic signatures for acute cardiorespiratory breathlessness
- POSTER: Biomarkers of stress in lungs – A study of ultramarathon runners used Breath Biopsy to uncover markers of physical lung stress and injury caused by extreme exercise.
- REVIEW: ReCIVA is an optimal sampling solution – A systematic review by Azim et al. identifies ReCIVA as an optimal solution for clinical utility in breath collection.
- PAPER: VOCs, lung microbiome and COPD – Results from an early Breath Biopsy study with GSK examining VOCs on breath for insights into the lung microbiome in COPD patients.
- POSTER: Biomarkers of lung cancer in former smokers – A Breath Biopsy study with BC Cancer.
- POSTER: Biomarkers for IPF/ILA – Results of a Breath Biopsy study at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
- PAPER: Applications of VOC Biomarkers in Asthma – Our whitepaper on the use of breath biomarkers for asthma diagnosis and treatment.
- REPORT: Breath biomarkers an asthma priority – An expert European partnership identifies VOC biomarkers on breath as a key asthma research priority.
- ARTICLE: The Pathologist looks at breath biomarkers – An article summarising the use of breath for early detection and precision medicine.
- PAPER: Volatile organic breath components and exercise induced bronchoconstriction in asthmatic children
- PAPER: Exhaled volatile organic compounds and lung microbiome in COPD
- PAPER: Millimeter-wave gas spectroscopy for breathanalysis of COPD patients in comparison to GC-MS
Blog
Articles published on our blog related to respiratory diseases.
