APOSEMA - Exhale and detect diseases early on

The symptoms of COPD - chronic obstructive pulmonary disease – are coughing and difficulty breathing. It affects 10 percent of the adult population.

At best, if diagnosed at an early stage, the onset can be prevented. Arteriosclerosis affects a third of the 45 - 75 age group. This disease accounts for 15 percent of deaths in Germany.

These and other diseases, such as diabetes or kidney disease, have one thing in common: the onset - among other things - manifests itself through specific gaseous substances in tidal (exhaled) air. The aim of breathing gas analysis is to detect and analyze telling traces in tidal air.

Unfortunately, tidal air only contains very low concentrations of some of these characteristic gases, making analysis extremely difficult. Normally, expensive, sophisticated analyzers are required. This is the very issue the APOSEMA project addresses.

High- Sensitivity Sensors for Gas Detection

Detecting different types of trace gas quickly and reliably by means of innovative measurement methods is the goal the Austrian and German APOSEMA project partners have set for themselves. The result is a new type of high-sensitivity sensor system that combines fluorescent and infrared detection for gas analysis in a single device.

The product is based on nano-hybrid materials and photonic laser elements.

This device is designed to easily and consistently perform real time analysis of gases in tidal air known to be COPD and AC markers:

• oxygen (O2),
• carbon dioxide (CO2),
• nitrogen monoxide (NO) and
• the VOCs (volatile organic components) ethane, pentane, isoprene and carbon disulfide.

Besides preventing and curing diseases, the innovation can also applied in sequential therapy. However, the new sensors are not only restricted to applications for the medical sector. A number of other industrial processes need and stand to benefit from fast and sensitive sensor solutions: process control, process optimization, R&D. Environmental analysis also profits from the fast and efficient analysis method to monitor air quality.

Consortium Manager

University Ulm, Germany - Institute of Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry

Other Consortium Partners

• University Ulm, Germany
• Nanoplus GmbH, Germany
• OptoPrecision GmbH, Germany
• Joanneum Research Forschungsgesellschaft mbH, Austria
• TecSense GmbH, Austria

Project Coordinator

Boris Mizaikoff
E-mail: boris.mizaikoff@uni-ulm.de