A National University of Singapore spin-off company developed a test kit that can provide COVID-19 results within a minute.

On October 29, Breathonix said that the company is currently discussing Health Ministry (MOH) to have its breathalyser tests on trial at public locations in the coming months after the successful trial with National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID).

Recent NCID trial showed involving 180 patients, the Breathonix's breathalyser technology showed 93% sensitivity rate to pick up positive cases as well as 95% specificity rate to identify virus-free individuals. This is far from ARTs 82% sensitivity rate and 99% specificity rate. Breathonix CEO Dr. Jia Zhunan said they are planning to expand the NCID trial with additional 250 patients.

Meanwhile, Breathonix chairman Neo Kok Beng who is also an associate professor in the National University of Singapore added that they hope to receive approval from the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) to deploy breathalyser tests at conferences and other events through a major hospitality player. Prof. Neo also said that they also received requests from groups abroad to roll out the tests there.

Breathalyser for COVID-19 Tests

To use the Breathalyser COVID-19 test, people blows into a disposable mouthpiece connected to a breath sampler. Invisible particles within a person's breath called volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are analyzed by the mass spectrometer. Different VOC will be produced by a healthy person compared to sick people.

It is also non-invasive, unlike the popular tests such as the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) swab tests and antigen rapid tests (ARTs), in which swabs are inserted into nostrils, which causes discomfort on patients.

The breathalyser is faster and more convenient as it generates results within a minute without processing the sample somewhere else, unlike the PCR swab testing, which requires processing samples in external laboratory. It also takes few days to get the test results. Similarly, Breathonix is still faster than the ART, which provides results in 15 minutes.

Breathonix Chief Operating Officer and co-founder Du Fang said the breathalyser machine only requires an hour to train a person layman to use, which is far easier compared to PCR tests that requires skilled laboratory technicians. "Technically, anyone who knows how to operate a PC can do it," said Fang as reported by Straits Times.

Read also: Japanese Scientists Successfully Develop DNA-Based COVID-19 Vaccine in US Phase 3 Trial Soon

Not comparing with PCR test

The breathalyser is less sensitive than PCR test, which is currently the "gold standard" of coronavirus testing. However, Dr. Jia noted that the breath test is not designed for diagnosis. "We're not comparing or competing against the PCR test. The breath test is more of a first-level screening device," she noted.

While a breathalyser test cost depends on various factors such as the number of conducted tests, Prof. Neo said that one machine could test around 5,000 people every month while each test could cost about $20.

The Breathonix' chairman also added that the machine could run 24 hours everyday, non-stop for up to six months before requiring re-calibration. This would make it ideal in airports and other high-traffic places, which is combined with painless and rapid testing method. Meanwhile, each PCR test costs around $200 per person while Du is still validating how much ARTs cost.

Related article: Scientists Discover That People With Antibodies Decline Roughly 26%, Raising Concerns About Herd Immunity

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Written by CJ Robles