Scentech Medical to start trial for COVID-19 breath test

Editor's Note

Israel-based Scentech Medical and Meir Medical Center will start a trial of Scentech’s breath technology, which is designed to detect COVID-19 before it becomes symptomatic, the April 22 Times of Israel reports.

The breath test technology—similar to breathalyzers used on suspected drunk drivers—is a mix of software and hardware that enables real-time identification of volatile chemical compounds in breath.

The technique can analyze some 8,000 volatile organic compounds present in each breath, which plays an active part in eliminating body waste, similar to urine or sweat.

Researchers will gather breath samples from 50 to 60 patients of different ages and medical conditions at Meir Medical Center who are ill with COVID-19 and compare them with those of healthy individuals. They will then pinpoint those compounds that are consistently present in the breath of sick patients, thus identifying the genetic fingerprint of the coronavirus.

The second stage of the study will include a wider sample of 100 to 200 ill and healthy soldiers in the Israeli army.