SBIR Phase I: Miniature Mass Spectrometer for Expired Breath Analysis

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project proposes to explore novel medical diagnostic methods based on the detection of volatile compounds in expired breath. Non-invasive medical diagnostics are clearly preferable to invasive testing whenever possible. Breakthroughs in biotechnology and instrumentation hold the key to a major expansion in non-invasive methods. Detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in breath is a non-invasive testing method that has the potential to allow diagnosis of a broad range of human and animal health-related issues quickly and inexpensively. Current state-of-the-art techniques for detecting VOCs in breath are slow, expensive, laboratory-based, and require extensive operator expertise to collect and analyze the data. The goal of this project is to demonstrate the feasibility of employing previously developed proprietary technology to develop a portable, easy-to- operate, miniature mass spectrometer (MMS) that will provide a real-time, automated, highly sensitive, low cost, and reliable method for detecting a broad range of breath VOCs in point-of-care or field settings.

The commercial applications of this project cover a broad range of markets. The proposed instrument could be used in biochemical and medical research labs, in clinical labs and hospitals, in workplaces, at contaminated environmental sites, and at military installations and battlefields.