IONICON PTR-TOF instruments deployed for COVID-19 detection in breath

There is a high probability that COVID-19 can be detected in the exhaled breath. Moreover, monitoring the impact of treatment or medication is highly relevant. IONICON PTR-TOF systems have become the de-facto standard for real-time breath analysis and a quick, non-invasive SARS-CoV-2 test to identify an infection would be a tremendous step forward.

contributed by IONICON | 06/30/2020

By Jens Herbig and Lukas Märk

Breath gas analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) has progressed in recent years. Researchers are trying to detect volatile biomarkers in exhaled breath that are indicative for a disease or for the response to pharmacological treatments. Several hundred volatile compounds have so far been identified in exhaled breath and their range of concentrations, typically in the parts-per-billion range, are a challenge to most modern analyzers.IONICON PTR-TOF systems are particularly well suited for breath gas analysis: their detection limits are in the ppt range (1 ppt = 0.001 ppb) and the high mass resolving power allows to separate isobaric compounds. Moreover, in addition to offline analysis where breath is collected in a container and then analyzed,the high sensitivity and fast response time of these systems allows to analyze breath directly and in real-time. This provides immediate results and avoids complications often arising from sample collection and storage. With IONICON PTR-TOF analyzers, several hundred compounds can be measured simultaneously from a single exhalation.A critical add-on is our specialized breath sampling inlet (BET) which employs clinically certified, disposable, non-rebreathing mouthpieces to minimize the risk of contagion between patients.

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