The Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s (DTRA) Chemical and Biological Technologies Department in its role as the Joint Science and Technology Office (JSTO) for Chemical and Biological Defense is investing in the collection and analysis of exhaled volatile organic compounds (VOCs), metabolites, and other components produced in a healthy population. This will establish a baseline from an asymptomatic population to compare against patterns of organic compound emissions and other biomarker output of possibly ill warfighters that would provide an indication of infection, illness, and levels of sleep deprivation or fatigue, ultimately supporting warfighter readiness in austere locations.
The development and deployment of a hand-held, breath-based diagnostic device is an ambitious but attainable goal to perform a rapid, on-the-spot diagnosis of infection or fatigue in warfighters in forward-deployed areas. This noninvasive approach would have several benefits by:
- Minimizing the number of blood draws performed
- Superseding existing invasive methods
- Eliminating the risk of infection from drawing blood
The challenges in developing such a device are many, but it is possible through inter-agency collaboration and strategic investments in emerging technologies. DTRA-JSTO plans to invest in two efforts that contribute to the development of a hand-held device and a miniature mass spectrophotometer. DTRA-JSTO is also coordinating with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency on their recent call for fatigue diagnosis with breath and with the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity to develop a micro-gas chromatograph as a breath sensor to detect signs of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, which is a life-threatening condition associated with COVID-19. When matured, these efforts could provide early intervention to allow for administering appropriate medical countermeasures and limit epidemic spread.
Myriad approaches have been used to identify VOCs correlated with a variety of pathologies including obstructive pulmonary diseases, various cancers, and bacterial or viral infections. Most current approaches involve using mass spectrophotometry to complement other technologies such as gas chromatography or proton-transfer reaction in addition to metallic-organic framework sensors. By using these instruments, the following VOCs can be identified and then correlated with the disease of interest:
- hydrocarbons
- oxygenated compounds
- nitrogen-, sulfur-, and halogen-containing compounds
- various biomarkers
However, there are major hurdles in this field before a robust breath-based diagnostic capability can be delivered:
- The diversity of breath sampling approaches and analytical instrumentation
- The selection of appropriate controls
- A lack of standardized, statistical data-analysis methods
What is needed is the identification of capabilities that will help overcome these challenges and establish protocols and methods that improve the process from sample acquisition to medical diagnosis. While conventional analysis of VOCs has used large, immobile analytical instrumentation, current detection methods can employ electrical charge- or colorimetrically responsive sensors leading to a hand-held device. In the future with FDA approval, using these devices will reduce the logistical footprint of deployed medical laboratories and replace outdated technology.
POC: Diane Dutt, Ph.D., diane.l.dutt.civ@mail.mil
| Date Taken: |
09.08.2021 |
| Date Posted: |
09.08.2021 15:40 |
| Story ID: |
404730 |
| Location: |
FT. BELVOIR, VA, US |
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