Breath Sampling Device Using Liquid Trapping for Non-Invasive Pathogen Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current virus and bacteria detection methods, such as PCR testing, require invasive sample collection and complex laboratory processes, making them inefficient for rapid and non-invasive diagnosis.
Innovation Solution
A device and method for sampling exhaled breath, which filters the breath through a liquid medium or filter media, allowing for the collection and testing of viruses and bacteria using PCR techniques, enabling non-invasive and rapid detection of viral or bacterial maladies like COVID and the flu.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a swab is used to collect respiratory material from a patient's nose, then viral genetic material can be collected for PCR testing, but the procedure is invasive and requires complex laboratory processing
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the sampling function from the traditional swab-and-lab paradigm by incorporating a liquid trapping mechanism directly into a portable device that can be used at the point of care, separating the collection function from the complex laboratory extraction process
Solution Approach 2:
The liquid medium acts as an intermediary that captures and preserves viral genetic material from breath samples, enabling transport and analysis without requiring immediate laboratory processing or invasive swabbing procedures
2Measurement precision
If traditional PCR testing procedures are used, then accurate viral detection can be achieved, but the process is time-consuming and requires complex laboratory infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The device performs preliminary concentration and preservation of viral genetic material in a liquid medium during the sampling step itself, eliminating the need for time-consuming laboratory extraction procedures and enabling faster turnaround from sample collection to testing
Solution Approach 2:
The invention segments the PCR testing process by enabling sample collection and genetic material extraction to occur in a separate, simplified device at the point of care, rather than requiring all steps to be performed in a centralized laboratory
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Facilitates accurate and efficient sampling and testing of respiratory viruses and bacteria, reducing the need for invasive procedures and simplifying the diagnostic process, thereby enhancing the speed and accuracy of virus detection.
Implementation Method 1
the liquid captures viruses or bacteria
Implementation Method 2
a sealed vessel containing a volume of liquid and an evacuated portion
Data Source
AI summary
Breath is used to detect the presence of absence of viruses or bacteria in a test subject. A series of devices can be used to collect a breath specimen. The breath specimen is either passed through a liquid or mixed with a liquid, the liquid capturing the viruses or bacteria contained in the breath. Alternatively, the breath specimen passes a filter medium, and the filter medium captures the viruses or bacteria contained in the breath. Liquid is then passed by the filter medium and collected. Liquids captured by these methods can then be tested by a laboratory, for instance using PCR techniques.