Chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affect over 500M people worldwide and the annual cost of treatment in the US alone is almost $60B. Although these diseases are common, diagnosis is complex as the symptoms between them overlap considerably. Further, each of these diseases can be driven by multiple subtypes with very different underlying biology and as a result choosing the right treatment is difficult.

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.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) on breath have repeatedly shown promise in differentiating respiratory disease subtypes. Some of these VOCs originate directly from the underlying inflammatory responses that cause these diseases, making them especially reliable indicators.

• PUBLICATION: Breath Biopsy is well accepted by patients – EMBER researchers assess the acceptability of sample collection with ReCIVA for patients with acute 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.
• PUBLICATION: 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