A smart mask for exhaled breath condensate harvesting and analysis
Recent respiratory outbreaks have garnered substantial attention, yet most respiratory monitoring remains confined to physical signals. Exhaled breath condensate (EBC) harbors rich molecular information that could unveil diverse insights into an individual's health. Unfortunately, challenges related to sample collection and the lack of on-site analytical tools impede the widespread adoption of EBC analysis. Here, we introduce EBCare, a mask-based device for real-time in situ monitoring of EBC biomarkers. Using a tandem cooling strategy, automated microfluidics, highly selective electrochemical biosensors, and a wireless reading circuit, EBCare enables continuous multimodal monitoring of EBC analytes across real-life indoor and outdoor activities. We validated EBCare's usability in assessing metabolic conditions and respiratory airway inflammation in healthy participants, patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma, and patients after COVID-19 infection.
Authors
- Yu Song (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4185-2256)
- Harry B. Rossiter (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7884-0726)
- Jihong Min (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5788-1473)
- Wenzheng Heng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-5278-0727)
- Shukun Yin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8218-9219)
- Canran Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3297-9041)
- Hong Han (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2852-8662)
- Jiahong Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7938-9589)
- Wei Feng Gao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8503-4562)
- Ehsan Shirzaei Sani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4609-1505)
Institutions
- California Institute of Technology (US)
- UCLA Medical Center (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Science
- Published
- 2024-08-29
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adn6471
- Citations
- 140
- Primary Topic
- Advanced Chemical Sensor Technologies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 25.82
Funders
- National Science Foundation
- Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program
- California Institute of Technology
- National Institutes of Health
- Kavli Nanoscience Institute, California Institute of Technology
- Office of Naval Research
- Division of Materials Research
- Army Research Office
- U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity