New Breathalyser Test Can ‘Sniff Out’ COVID-19 In Real-Time: Scientists

New Delhi: Scientists have developed a new laser-based breathalyser test powered by artificial intelligence (AI) that they say can detect COVID-19 in real-time with excellent accuracy. The team from the University of Colorado (CU) Boulder in the US hopes that the frequency comb breathalyser—essentially using laser light to distinguish one molecule from another—could revolutionise medical diagnostics. Study first author Qizhong Liang, a PhD candidate at CU Boulder, said,

Our results demonstrate the promise of breath analysis as an alternative, rapid, non-invasive test for COVID-19 and highlight its remarkable potential for diagnosing diverse conditions and disease states.

Jun Ye, adjoint professor at CU Boulder and senior author of the study published in the Journal of Breath Research, said,

There is a real, foreseeable future in which you could go to the doctor and have your breath measured along with your height and weight…Or you could blow into a mouthpiece integrated into your phone and get information about your health in real-time.

Also Read: Long COVID Risk And Symptoms Vary In Different Populations: Study

Between May 2021 and January 2022, the research team collected breath samples from 170 CU Boulder students who had, in the previous 48 hours, taken a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, either by submitting a saliva or a nasal sample.

Half had tested positive, half negative. Overall, the process took less than one hour from collection to result.

When compared to PCR, the gold standard COVID test, breathalyser results matched 85 per cent of the time. For medical diagnostics, accuracy of 80 per cent or greater is considered “excellent”.

The researchers noted that the accuracy would likely have been higher if the breath and saliva/nasal swab samples were collected at the same time.

Unlike a nasal swab, the breathalyser is non-invasive. And unlike a saliva sample, users are not asked to refrain from eating, drinking or smoking before using it, the researchers said.

The test doesn’t require costly chemicals to break down the sample. And the test could, conceivably, be used on individuals who are not conscious, they said.

The breathalyser test consists of a complex array of lasers and mirrors about the size of a banquet table.

A breath sample is piped in through a tube as lasers fire invisible mid-infrared light at it at thousands of different frequencies. Dozens of tiny mirrors bounce the light back and forth through the molecules so many times that the light travels about 1.5 miles.

Because each kind of molecule absorbs light differently, breath samples with a different molecular make-up cast distinct shadows.

The machine can distinguish between those different shadows or absorption patterns, boiling millions of data points down to—in the case of COVID—a simple positive or negative, in a matter of seconds.

The researchers are working to miniaturise such systems to a chip scale, allowing for what Liang imagines as “real-time, self-health monitoring on the go”.

Also Read: COVID-19: India Records Over 2,000 Fresh Cases, Eight People Succumb To The Virus

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.