Project description
A simple breath test for respiratory infections
When a person exhales, they release tiny droplets and particles collectively referred to as exhaled breath aerosol (XBA) that potentially includes infectious agents like viruses or bacteria. XBA is of interest in medical research because it may carry markers or indicators of respiratory infections or diseases. The EU-funded BreathForDx project will use tuberculosis as a model to develop a scalable XBA sampling device for diagnosis, screening and identification of antimicrobial resistance. Researchers will evaluate various parameters, including its usability and cost-effectiveness. The key objective is to enhance individual and public health against respiratory infections through a simple breath sample and point-of-care testing.
Objective
Respiratory infections resulted in >7 million deaths in 2020 and were responsible for 7 of the last 9 pandemics, causing trillions of €s in economic losses. Despite the importance of early detection for individual health and pandemic control, flawed sampling methods for respiratory infections limit the impact of highly-sensitive molecular diagnostics. BreathForDx’s overall goal is to tackle this problem by establishing exhaled breath aerosol (XBA) as a novel, evidence-based sample for respiratory infections in three use cases: diagnosis, screening, and antimicrobial resistance, using tuberculosis (TB) as a model infection. The project will leverage innovation in bioaerosol and material science, as well as the multidisciplinary (including academia, industry and NGOs) consortium’s track record of delivering transformative diagnostic innovation. More specifically, we will optimise an innovative, easy-to-use, scalable XBA sampling device, and compare it to a face mask sampling device coupled with rapid molecular detection in three clinical studies. We will evaluate the XBA sampling efficiency of these devices using the Respiratory Aerosol Sampling Chamber as a benchmark. Next, we will assess performance of the devices for diagnosis of TB and drug-resistance among symptomatic patients in a high burden EU country. In parallel, we will assess the feasibility of multiplexing XBA samples for multiple respiratory pathogens (i.e. TB, influenza, SARS-CoV-2) in a screening use case. Accuracy and feasibility data will be complemented by data on acceptability and usability, as well as cost-effectiveness and impact modelling to inform the implementation potential of the novel devices across different use cases. We envision a world in which a single breath sample, coupled with point-of-care molecular diagnostics, enables accessible and accurate pathogen and resistance detection of highly transmissible respiratory infections, thereby improving both individual and public health.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- medical and health sciences health sciences public health epidemiology pandemics
- medical and health sciences health sciences infectious diseases RNA viruses influenza
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy drug resistance
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine pneumology tuberculosis
- medical and health sciences health sciences infectious diseases RNA viruses coronaviruses
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.2.1 - Health
MAIN PROGRAMME
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HORIZON.2.1.4 - Infectious Diseases, including poverty-related and neglected diseases
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-HLTH-2022-DISEASE-07
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
69120 HEIDELBERG
Germany
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.