Non-invasive diagnosis of diseases by means of respiratory gas analysis

Background

Breath gas analysis is a rapidly growing field of non-invasive diagnosis. One of the best-known examples is the detection of gastric ulcers caused by the bacterium Heliobacter pylori. The downside of most tests, however, is that samples must be sent to a specialized laboratory for analysis, and results are not available for several days or weeks. The availability of a direct V&Fmeasurement device would significantly reduce the time it takes to diagnose a disease that is actually present.

Solution

V&F offers an instrument based on ion molecular reaction mass spectrometry (IMR-MS) that can analyze breath on- as well as off-line. The IMR-MS achieves very high sensitivity and selectivity down to ppb (billionths). The V&F ComboSense has been used for the determination of biomarkers in cystic fibrosis, liver disease, or precursors of diabetes, to name just a few examples. A specially designed gas inlet allows real-time measurement from breath-to-breath or simultaneous analysis of many components during a single inhalation.

Photo Industry Solution V&F Healthcare

Advantages

V&Finstruments are very flexible and can be easily adapted to clinical or laboratory scales. Uncomplicated calibration procedures facilitate simultaneous measurement of disease-relevant biomarkers, and the possibility of immediate reporting opens avenues for rapid non-invasive diagnosis.

Highlights

  • Non-invasive diagnosis
  • Breath analysis
  • Determination of biomarkers

Reference clients (excerpt)

Reference LMU MuenchenReference OMD

Suitable devices