Methods of collecting and analyzing human breath

• US 7,153,272 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2003
• Issued: 12/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nanotherapeutics, Inc. (National Resilience, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nanotherapeutics, Inc. (National Resilience, Inc.)
• Inventors: Talton, James D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Marmor, II, Charles A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mallari, Patricia
• Application Number:
  US10/502,950
• Publication Number:
  US 20050065446A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,427 Days
• Field of Search: 600/543
• US Class Current: 600/543
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0059 using light, e.g. diagnosis by transillumination, diascopy, fluorescence A61B5/0093, A61B5/1455, A61B5/02416 and A61B5/0261 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/083 Measuring rate of metabolism by using breath test, e.g. measuring rate of oxygen consumption
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/097 Devices for facilitating collection of breath or for directing breath into or through measuring devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/2214 by sorption
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2001/2244 Exhaled gas, e.g. alcohol detecting
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2030/085 using absorbing precolumn
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2030/128 Thermal desorption analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0215 Mixtures of three or more gases, e.g. air
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0422 Shear waves, transverse waves, horizontally polarised waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0423 Surface waves, e.g. Rayleigh waves, Love waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0426 Bulk waves, e.g. quartz crystal microbalance, torsional waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/022 Fluid sensors based on microsensors, e.g. quartz crystal-microbalance [QCM], surface acoustic wave [SAW] devices, tuning forks, cantilevers, flexural plate wave [FPW] devices microdevices per se B81B
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/497 of gaseous biological material, e.g. breath

Abstract

The present invention provides methods of collecting and detecting compounds in a human breath sample, comprising: exhaling into a handheld sample collector to absorb at least one breath compound in an exhaled breath collector of said collector; connecting the handheld sample collector to a breath analyzer; transferring the breath compounds from the exhaled breath collector of the sample collector into the breath analyzer; and detecting breath compounds using two or more sensors. The method may be performed to detect breath compounds for determining health or disease diagnosis, or for drug monitoring.

Claims

1. A method of collecting and analyzing a human breath sample comprising at least one breath compound, comprising:

exhaling into a handheld sample collector comprising a sorbent phase, to absorb at least one breath compound;

placing the handheld sample collector in fluid communication with a breath analyzer;

transferring at least one breath compound from the sample collector into the breath analyzer for separation on a thermal desorption column;

detecting at least one compound using two or more polymer-coated surface acoustic wave sensors;

wherein the handheld sample collector is not in fluid communication with the breath analyzer during the exhaling.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed to detect breath compounds for determining health or disease diagnosis, or for drug monitoring.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the exhaling comprises multiple exhaled breaths into the exhaled breath collector of the handheld sample collector.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the breath sample comprises multiple breath compounds.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the sorbent phase is selected from activated carbon, silica gel, activated alumina, molecular sieve carbon, molecular sieve zeolites, silicalite, AIPO₄, alumina, polystyrene, and combinations thereof.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising inhaling through an air collector in the handheld sample collector.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the inhaling through the air collector precedes the exhaling into the exhaled breath collector.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one breath compound is selected from the group consisting of alcohols, ethers, ketones, amines, aldehydes, carbonyls, carbanions, alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, aromatic hydrocarbons, polynuclear aromatics, biomolecules, sugars, isoprenes, isoprenoids, VOCs, VOAs, indoles, pyridines, fatty acids, and off-gases of a microorganism.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating at least one profile from the sensor response.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the method is used to prepare a diagnostic profile of a patient.

11. A diagnostic method comprising the method of claim 10, and further comprising making a diagnosis based on the profile.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the two or more polymer-coated surface acoustic wave sensors are removable and/or replaceable.