Breath tester for cancer detection trialed in the UK
- 5 years ago
CAMBRIDGE, UK — The Cancer Research UK Cambridge Center is launching a two-year clinical trial of a new breath test device that aims to identify molecules linked to certain cancers.
According to a press release, the procedure will be tested on 1,500 participants including cancer patients and healthy participants.
The technology is called Breath Biopsy and was developed by Owlstone Medical, a company dedicated to developing non-invasive cancer detection technology.
The device used in these tests is called ReCIVA Breath Sampler. It analyzes molecules called Volatile Organic Compounds, or VOCs, present in exhaled breath.
Cells regularly produce VOCs as part of their normal metabolic processes. Researchers participating in the trial believe the presence of cancerous cells could cause identifiable changes in VOC patterns. The ReCIVA is designed to detect these alterations.
Participants will need to breathe into the device for 10 minutes. Samples of the participants' breath containing VOCs are collected in the device's Breath Biopsy Cartridge and then sent to a laboratory in Cambridge for analysis.
The trial will be testing patients suspected to have esophageal, stomach, kidney, bladder, prostate, liver and pancreatic cancer.
The results of the trials are expected to be published by 2021.
David Crosby, head of early detection research at Cancer Research UK, said in the press release: "Technologies such as this breath test have the potential to revolutionize the way we detect and diagnose cancer in the future."
According to a press release, the procedure will be tested on 1,500 participants including cancer patients and healthy participants.
The technology is called Breath Biopsy and was developed by Owlstone Medical, a company dedicated to developing non-invasive cancer detection technology.
The device used in these tests is called ReCIVA Breath Sampler. It analyzes molecules called Volatile Organic Compounds, or VOCs, present in exhaled breath.
Cells regularly produce VOCs as part of their normal metabolic processes. Researchers participating in the trial believe the presence of cancerous cells could cause identifiable changes in VOC patterns. The ReCIVA is designed to detect these alterations.
Participants will need to breathe into the device for 10 minutes. Samples of the participants' breath containing VOCs are collected in the device's Breath Biopsy Cartridge and then sent to a laboratory in Cambridge for analysis.
The trial will be testing patients suspected to have esophageal, stomach, kidney, bladder, prostate, liver and pancreatic cancer.
The results of the trials are expected to be published by 2021.
David Crosby, head of early detection research at Cancer Research UK, said in the press release: "Technologies such as this breath test have the potential to revolutionize the way we detect and diagnose cancer in the future."