Packed Bed Column for Truncated Proteoform Capture in Exhaled Breath
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current diagnostic methods for respiratory tract infections, particularly in critical care settings, lack non-invasive and reliable molecular biomarkers, leading to delayed and inaccurate diagnoses, especially in patients using mechanical ventilators, due to the difficulty in obtaining samples from the site of infection and the limitations of existing breath collection technologies.
Innovation Solution
A method using a packed bed column to capture truncated proteoforms in exhaled breath aerosols, which are then analyzed using MALDI-TOFMS, allowing for the detection of specific biomarkers such as IL10RA, PPR17, COL2A1, COL3A1, and C6, enabling rapid and specific diagnosis of respiratory diseases like tuberculosis and respiratory tract infections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional microbiological culture methods are used for LRTI diagnosis, then diagnostic accuracy can be achieved, but diagnostic time is significantly delayed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and analyzes host response biomarkers (proteins, peptides, metabolites) directly from exhaled breath condensate, separating the diagnostic approach from traditional pathogen-based methods. This extraction of host response markers enables rapid diagnosis without waiting for slow microbial culture growth, resolving the contradiction between diagnostic accuracy and time consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/biological process of microbial culture with mass spectrometry analysis. Instead of relying on slow biological growth mechanisms, the system uses advanced analytical instrumentation to detect and quantify host response biomarkers, achieving both high accuracy and rapid results within hours rather than days.
2Loss of time
If NAAT-based molecular diagnostic approaches are used, then rapid results are obtained, but the ability to differentiate between colonization and infection is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces host response biomarkers as intermediary indicators that reflect the physiological state of the patient. These biomarkers serve as mediators between the presence of pathogens and the clinical state of infection, enabling differentiation between colonization (no host response) and true infection (host response present), while maintaining rapid NAAT-based detection speeds.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the diagnostic parameters from solely pathogen-based detection to include host response parameters (protein expression, metabolite levels). By measuring multiple parameters simultaneously - both pathogen presence and host response intensity - the system achieves accurate differentiation between colonization and infection while maintaining rapid diagnostic speed.
3Ease of operation
If exhaled breath collection is used for biomarker detection, then non-invasive sampling is achieved, but capture efficiency of biomolecules is challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs porous materials and advanced condensation techniques to enhance the capture efficiency of biomolecules from exhaled breath. The porous structure increases surface area and improves trapping efficiency of proteins, peptides, and metabolites in breath condensate, maintaining non-invasive sampling while significantly improving biomarker capture reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes physical and chemical parameters of breath collection, including temperature control during condensation, flow rate management, and pH adjustment of collection media. These parameter optimizations enhance the efficiency of biomolecule capture from exhaled breath while preserving the non-invasive nature of the sampling method.
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
This approach provides a non-invasive, efficient, and cost-effective means to capture and analyze aerosolized biomarkers, improving the accuracy and speed of respiratory disease diagnosis, with a capture efficiency greater than 99% and the ability to differentiate between infected and healthy individuals, facilitating early treatment and reducing disease transmission.
Implementation Method 1
capturing truncated proteoforms in the exhaled air aerosol produced by a patient using a sample capture element including a packed bed column
Implementation Method 2
analyzing the one or more collected liquid samples using MALDI-TOFMS
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and devices to capture and analyze aerosolized particles in exhaled air including protein biomarkers and their truncated proteoforms characteristic of tuberculosis to enable rapid detection of diseases. Methods and systems to selectively capture aerosolized particles using a packed bed column. The captured particles are eluted using one or more solvents and analyzed using devices including MALDI-TOFMS.