Jolanda Palmisani at the Breath Biopsy Conference 2021

Sampling and Analysis session - Breath analysis for early detection of oncologic diseases: Outcomes, challenges and future perspectives (30min)

 

The Breath Biopsy Conference 2022 is scheduled for 1st-3rd November. Click the button to express interest in the next Breath Biopsy Conference:

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Talk Abstract:

Chemical characterization of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in human breath and the identification of a characteristic metabolite pattern is to date recognized as non-invasive and promising methodological approach alternative to traditional diagnostic exams for early detection and follow-up of oncologic diseases. VOC composition in exhaled breath reflects the volatile composition of the bloodstream and airways, therefore able to provide information about human metabolic status allowing a discrimination between healthy and sick clinical conditions due to an instantaneous equilibrium established between the bloodstream and the alveoli air in the lung. Despite the promising outcomes obtained by the scientific community over the last decades, breath analysis is still far from being applied as a routine clinical technique. This it due to the lack of standardized procedures for sampling and analysis that guarantee good repeatability and comparability of experimental results at all the methodology-levels. For decades the most applied methodology was based on the collection of human samples through polymeric bags but nowadays innovative devices (e.g., Mistral) for the automatic collection of exhaled breath-VOCs directly onto sorbent tubes have been developed and launched onto the market. The excursus of the promising outcomes obtained in terms of identification of breath VOCs pattern for the discrimination between patients affected by oncologic diseases (i.e., lung cancer, malignant pleural mesothelioma and colorectal cancer) and healthy controls is herein explored, highlighting the achievements on the methodological approach and data treatment and underlying the limitations to overcome as well as challenges for the future.

Speaker Biography:
Jolanda Palmisani is an Environmental Chemistry researcher at the Department of Biology, University of Bari (Italy). Jolanda graduated in Chemistry in 2011 and obtained a PhD in Chemical Sciences in 2015. Her research activities focus on: atmospheric pollution (chemical characterization of air samples, high temporal resolution monitoring of target pollutants, source apportionment, pollutant emissions impact evaluations); indoor air quality (determination of VOCs and particles concentration, real-time air quality monitoring, identification of indoor sources, evaluation of VOCs and particle emissions from materials and consumer products, ozone-initiated chemistry and secondary organic aerosol formation, exposure scenario evaluations); development of innovative methodological approaches for high temporal resolution monitoring of outdoor/indoor pollutants; and breath analysis for the early diagnosis of oncologic diseases. Jolanda has been involved as an early-career scientist in research projects and presented at several national and international conferences on the topics above. She is a Management Committee Substitute Member (Italy Representative) and leader of Working Group 3 for the Cost Action CA 17136 ‘Indoor air network’ and is also an European Commission public sector expert. Jolanda is first author or co-author of 33 papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals and books.

The Breath Biopsy Conference 2022 is scheduled for 1st-3rd November. Click the button to express interest in the next Breath Biopsy Conference:

Express Interest