NEW YORK ─ Cleveland-based Canary Health Technologies and Delhi-based Divoc Laboratories on Sunday announced that they will collaborate in a clinical trial to develop a rapid breath test for the detection of COVID-19.
The handheld test, called ASU Detect CV19, uses exhaled volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in human breath as biomarkers of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
The disposable breath test is being developed to detect the virus in people with and without symptoms in less than three minutes, using nanosensors to collect breath samples and cloud-based pattern recognition technology to determine whether a person is infected.
The breath test detects a person’s metabolic response nearly immediately after infection, requires minimal training, and is performed at the point of care without the need of a laboratory, the firms said.
The clinical trial will involve the collection of breath samples from 750 people who are either COVID-19 positive or do not have the virus.
Preliminary results of the trial are expected before the end of December, and the firms aim to launch the test in early 2021.
If the trial is successful, Canary will seek fast-track regulatory approval while continuing to validate the test in settings such as airports, resorts, and other high-density areas, the firms said.
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