Project description
Detection and testing of respiratory infections
Respiratory infections, responsible for over 7 million deaths in 2020 and the majority of recent pandemics, pose a colossal threat to global health and economy. Unfortunately, current sampling methods for detection often fall short, hampering timely intervention. This limitation not only jeopardises individual health, but also undermines pandemic control efforts. In this context, the EU-funded B-Path project will develop innovative use of exhaled breath aerosol (XBA) sampling. The aim is to enable simple, non-invasive diagnosis at all care levels. With a focus on major pathogens like SARS-CoV-2, influenza, and TB, the project will explore multiplex detection and point-of-care testing. Multi-country studies will assess efficacy, feasibility, and economic impact, with innovative technologies and interdisciplinary collaboration driving progress.
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 diagnostics. The B-Path project will tackle this problem by establishing exhaled breath aerosol (XBA) as an evidence-based, non-invasive sample for simple detection of respiratory infections that can be undertaken at all levels of care. We will achieve this by developing and optimising two innovative, easy-to-use and scalable XBA sampling devices and generating evidence for their use in diagnosis and screening (for early diagnosis and transmission control). We will use different model pathogens that have caused epidemics and pandemics globally – SARS-CoV-2, influenza, and tuberculosis (TB) – and we will generate data on the feasibility of multiplex detection of respiratory pathogens in XBA samples, the adaptability to novel pathogens applying viral metagenomics, and point-of-care testing with lateral-flow assays. We will assess the sampling efficiency of the novel devices against a benchmark Respiratory Aerosol Sampling Chamber and evaluate performance, feasibility, and acceptability, in comparison to the current standard of sampling in multi-country clinical studies of diagnosis and screening. Impact and economic modelling will inform the implementation potential of the novel devices for the different use cases and help assess trade-offs. 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. We envision that a single breath sample enables accessible and accurate detection of highly transmissible respiratory infections, thereby improving both individual and population 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.
- social sciences political sciences political policies civil society civil society organisations nongovernmental organizations
- 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 clinical medicine pneumology tuberculosis
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
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.
-
HORIZON.2.1 - Health
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme -
HORIZON.2.1.5 - Tools, Technologies and Digital Solutions for Health and Care, including personalised medicine
See all projects funded under this programme -
HORIZON.2.1.4 - Infectious Diseases, including poverty-related and neglected diseases
See all projects funded under this programme
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-IA - HORIZON Innovation Actions
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
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-2023-TOOL-05
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
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.