A breath test device developed by NUS Engineering alumni that can accurately detect COVID-19 in less than a minute has received provisional authorisation from Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority (HSA).
Developed by Breathonix Pte Ltd, a spin-off company from NUS, the BreFence™ Go COVID-19 Breath Test System is non-invasive and easy to use. It is the first breath analysis system to secure provisional authorisation in Singapore.
Breathonix is now working with the Singapore Ministry of Health (MOH) to run a deployment trial of their technology at Singapore’s Tuas Checkpoint at the border with Malaysia, where incoming travellers will undergo screening with the device.
The test, which does not require medically trained staff or laboratory processing, will be carried out alongside the current compulsory COVID-19 antigen rapid test.
The device works by detecting Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) present in a person’s exhaled breath. A person only needs to blow into a disposable mouthpiece connected to a cutting-edge mass spectrometer for measurement. A proprietary software algorithm analyses the VOCs biomarkers, and generates results in less than a minute.
Breathonix was co-founded by three NUS graduates, Dr Jia Zhunan (Engineering PhD), Mr Du Fang (MSc in Electrical and Electronics Engineering) and Mr Wayne Wee Shi Jie (Mechanical Engineering class of 2020), along with Dr Jia’s PhD advisor, Professor T. Venky Venkatesan.
The start-up was originally founded to develop breath testing technology to detect tuberculosis and lung cancer and the team was part of the 2018/19 cohort of NUS Engineering’s Institute for Engineering Leadership TechLaunch course.
However, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020 it became obvious that their system could potentially pivot to detect the disease.
Breathonix is now in trials at airports and will be soon used for both air and land checkpoints for testing of travellers. Breathonix was supported by the Runway Post-doctoral fellowship by the Faculty of Engineering as well as the NUS Graduate Research Innovation Programme (GRIP), a scheme that encourages talented NUS graduate students and research staff to establish and run high potential ventures based on deep technologies.
Under the leadership of Professor Freddy Boey, Deputy President (Innovation & Enterprise), the NUS GRIP team has been working closely with Breathonix, providing expertise and equipment to carry out biomedical studies to validate the technology, and leading them to obtain regulatory approvals for the deployment of the system.
Prior to receiving provisional approval, the system underwent clinical trials from June 2020 to April 2021 at locations in Singapore and in Dubai in collaboration with the Dubai Health Authority and a local university.
“We are proud to play a part in Singapore’s fight against COVID-19 by turning our cancer detection technology into a system that rapidly screens for the coronavirus,” said Mr Du, Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Breathonix.
“After months of hard work, we are delighted that the BreFence™ Go COVID-19 Breath Test System is now ready to be deployed to protect the nation. Our team is grateful for the invaluable support and advice provided by NUS.”
Read more about this at NUS News
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