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BreathForDx · Project

Non-invasive Breath Sampling Devices for Rapid Respiratory Infection Diagnosis and Screening

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Imagine if you could detect a lung infection just by breathing into a tube instead of needing a painful swab or a deep cough sample. This project creates a special 'breath catcher' that grabs tiny droplets from your exhale to find germs like TB or Flu. It turns a simple breath into a high-quality sample that machines can read quickly and accurately.

By the numbers
7 million
deaths from respiratory infections in 2020
7
number of the last 9 pandemics caused by respiratory infections
The business problem

What needed solving

Current sampling methods for respiratory infections are often suboptimal or invasive, which limits the effectiveness of high-sensitivity molecular diagnostics and slows down pandemic response.

The solution

What was built

Two sampling devices: AveloCollect (blow-tube) and AveloMask (face mask), both produced via ISO 13485 pilot manufacturing.

Audience

Who needs this

Medical diagnostic device manufacturersPublic health screening agenciesPoint-of-care clinical laboratoriesRespiratory health NGOs
Business applications

Who can put this to work

Medical Device Manufacturing
any
Target: Diagnostic hardware developer

If you are a diagnostic hardware developer dealing with low patient compliance for invasive swabs — this project developed AveloCollect and AveloMask that provide a non-invasive way to capture respiratory aerosols. This improves the user experience and increases the volume of usable samples for molecular testing.

Public Health Infrastructure
enterprise
Target: National health screening agency

If you are a national health screening agency dealing with the high cost of pandemic monitoring — this project developed a multiplexing XBA sampling method that detects TB, influenza, and SARS-CoV-2 simultaneously. This reduces the number of tests needed per patient during mass screenings.

Clinical Diagnostics
mid-size
Target: Point-of-care testing laboratory

If you are a point-of-care testing laboratory dealing with slow turnaround times for drug-resistance testing — this project developed an XBA sampling device coupled with rapid molecular detection. This allows for faster identification of drug-resistant tuberculosis in symptomatic patients.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What is the cost-effectiveness of these devices?

Based on available project data, the project is conducting cost-effectiveness and impact modelling to inform the implementation potential across different use cases.

Can these devices be produced at an industrial scale?

Yes, Avelo has already established pilot manufacturing for both the AveloCollect and AveloMask devices under an ISO 13485 quality management system.

Who owns the IP or licensing rights?

Based on available project data, the specific IP and licensing terms are not disclosed, but the technology is being developed by a consortium including industry partners and Avelo.

How does the device integrate with existing lab workflows?

The devices are designed to be coupled with rapid molecular detection, using liquid elution and extraction to prepare samples for analysis.

What is the timeline for clinical validation?

The project runs from 2024-01-01 to 2026-12-31, with clinical studies integrated into the project goals to assess accuracy and feasibility.

Consortium

Who built it

The consortium is highly balanced for commercialization, featuring a 40% industry ratio with 2 industrial partners and 1 SME. The presence of a dedicated SME (Avelo) focusing on ISO 13485 pilot manufacturing suggests a strong push toward market entry, supported by academic and research partners from 5 countries (DE, CH, IT, RO, ZA) to ensure global clinical validity.

How to reach the team

Contact Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Contact us to explore licensing opportunities for XBA sampling technology.

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