Israeli startup Scentech-Medical has received approval to run a clinical trial of a breath test to detect COVID-19 antibodies in people who have been vaccinated against the virus, NextGen Biomed Ltd, which is in the process of merging with Scentech, reported Monday.
The trial, which Scentech-Medical believes to be the first of its kind in the world, will run at Shamir (Assaf Harofeh) Medical Center, where clinical trials of its breath test to identify the presence of the COVID virus itself are ongoing.
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Scentech-Medical plans to administer rapid breath tests to vaccinated volunteers to map biomarkers specifically related to antibodies of type IgM and IgG. The test to monitor antibody levels and types (which is being developed concurrently with the rapid breath test for COVID detection) is expected to provide a quick indication of the efficacy of all vaccines available on the market, including the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which is currently in use in Israel.
Scentech believes that its breath test technology can detect both symptomatic coronavirus active carriers as well as asymptomatic carriers. The VOX system developed by the company was able to detect differences among various test groups: positive subjects, negative subjects, and negative subjects with COVID antibodies.
A total of 784 participants were tested using the company's VOX system, alongside PCR and serological tests. Of those 784, 41 tested positive in PCR (polymerise chain reaction) tests, and 742 tested negative for coronavirus. Out of the 742 who tested negative for the virus, serological tests showed the presence of antibodies in 68 subjects.
The company is reporting that by using the test it developed for the analysis and quantification of volatile compounds in breath, it can detect coronavirus carriers: active symptomatic patients; and asymptomatic carriers. It may even give an indication of the body's immune response as reflected by the type and level of antibodies expressed by the body.
Meanwhile, Scentech-Medical is also working on a global analysis system that combines advanced artificial intelligence and unique algorithms to provide rapid and automated analysis of data collected by the company's devices. The analysis is expected to help monitor disease spread, detect new mutations of the coronavirus, and identify new disease outbreaks in real time.
The company said it expects its global analysis system is expected to enter alpha testing within a month.
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