Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT04459962

Covid-19 Breath Test

Can Nanotechnology Biomarker Tagging (NBT) be used to detect COVID-19 infection in people presenting for COVID-19 testing?

NBT can be used to detect the substances present in a person's breath. In this study the breath of people presenting for COVID-19 testing is going to be analysed. Analysing a large number of samples from people with COVID-19 (as confirmed by the standard swab test used by the NHS) will enable a breath profile to be produced, ie the substances present in the breath when someone has COVID-19. After the profile has been validated, NBT can be used to test whether or not a person has COVID-19 by seeing if their breath matches the profile.

Using this technology for COVID-19 testing has advantages over the current standard test. The sample can be analysed immediately in the clinical setting and the results are available in 5-10 minutes, so if the person tests negative they can go back to their normal life straight away. The current swab test takes around 72 hours for the results to be available, and the person needs to self-isolate during this time in case they test positive, resulting in potentially unnecessary days of work missed and inconvenience. The breath test is non-invasive and is unlikely to cause any discomfort, as the person is only required to breath normally into the device. This study will also review the practicalities of using this test. It is quick and easy to train people in how to carry out the test, so it could potentially easily be rolled out to testing sites.

Completed

Looking for future studies?

Notify Me

Key information

Conditions

COVID-19 Infection COVID-19 Coronaviridae Infections Coronavirus Infections Infections Lung Diseases Nidovirales Infections Pneumonia Pneumonia, Viral RNA Virus Infections Respiratory Tract Diseases Respiratory Tract Infections Virus Diseases

Age range

16 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Chertsey, Surrey, KT16 0PZ, United Kingdom

About this study

This is a Cohort Study which will collect non-invasive, expired breath sample, cheek swab and a Medical and Lifestyle questionnaire from participants.

When the participant presents for COVID-19 testing they will be asked to provide a cheek swab and breath sample, and complete the study questionnaire. They will not need to give any identifiable information or have a second visit. The samples will be analysed immediately and disposed of as clinical waste. ANCON will then use the data to build a breath profile of COVID-19 infection.

Sample and data collection method for inpatients:

  • Sequential (daily or every other day as able) breath and swab test will be taken from some of the patients admitted in the hospital (inpatients).
  • This will be taken from entry or start of the study to discharge or end of study or until patient or medical staff deem unsuitable to continue
  • This will enable to track infection and the relevant profile changes as covid-19 progresses and/or is treated. This will provide vital additional information around identifiers associated with the disease and its progress.

Anonymous Questionnaire - Each participant will be asked questions in the form of a short standard questionnaire based on:

  • Medical Information
  • Lifestyle Information

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Male & Females.
  • Age Above 16 years old
  • All Ethnicity
  • Any patients that come for COVID-19 testing
  • COVID Negative Patients (Further participants may be selected as control groups who have no current diagnosis of COVID-19.)
  • COVID Positive In-Patients

Exclusion criteria

  • Outside of stated age range - below 16
  • Unable to consent

Treatment and study plan

Breath Test & Cheek Swab

Diagnostic Test

Breath Sample and Cheek Swab of participants will be used for machine learning (NBT - Nanobiotechnology Biomarkers Tagging) system to develop a profile which can be used later on for Covid-19 Diagnosis.

Primary outcomes

  1. To investigate/ examine the effectiveness of Nanotechnology Biomarker Tagging (NBT) in detecting COVID-19 infection using breath samples of patients with COVID-19 symptoms

    Time frame: 6 Months

    This will be measured by identification of VOCs present in the breath sample of the COVID-19 positive and their relative concentrations compared to a COVID-19 negative breath sample. These will be combined to provide a COVID-19 positive profile

Secondary outcomes

  1. -To profile the unique pattern of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) found in the expired breath of COVID-19 patients using the NBT system (VOC analysis and ML).

    Time frame: 6 months

    This will be measured by identification of VOCs present in the breath sample of the COVID-19 positive and their relative concentrations compared to a COVID-19 negative breath sample using ML. These will be combined to provide a COVID-19 positive profile.

  2. To differentiate this unique profile from the patients that are found to be negative for COVID-19

    Time frame: 6 months

    The patient samples that return COVID-19 negative will be used as controls for identification of VOCs and relative concentrations that are common to all samples.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Ancon Technologies Ltd

Industry

Registry information

Official study title

Breath Test Feasibility Trial for Covid-19 Infection Diagnosis

Important dates

Study start
2020
Primary completion
2021
Study completion
2021
First posted
Jul 7, 2020
Registry last updated
Jan 29, 2021

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.