The goal of this project is to establish robust, proof-of-concept feasibility for an innovative E-nose system, termed the MOF-SCENT system, for real-time and non-invasive screening for asymptomatic and symptomatic COVID-19 patients, with high accuracy based on the detection of VOCs emanating from exhaled breath. The proposed OE-HCCR-MOF based E-nose sensor is a novel biosensing and chemical sensing technology that will fundamentally advance E-nose sensing technologies due to the improved sensitivity and selectivity.
This proposal describes the design, fabrication, and proof-of-concept testing of a novel MOF-SCENT system (Metal-Organic Frameworks for Screening COVID-19 by Electronic-Nose Technology) that features the following advantages: (1) Highly selective and sensitive detection of a panel of VOCs that indicate COVID-19 disease; (2) fast response and recovery time; (3) portable, lowcost, robust, easy-to-use, and deployable in any clinical, community, and everyday setting. The proposed accurate, sensitive, lowcost, robust, and portable MOF-SCENT system provides a realistic approach to dramatically increase testing capacity for COVID- 19 because it can be rapidly integrated into and adopted by the public and healthcare systems by deploying a large number of such systems at central facilities (e.g., airports, shopping malls), point-of-care sites (e.g., hospitals, pharmacies, urgent care centers), and workplaces, and even homes. The manufacturing of the MOF-SCENT system can be easily scaled to > 50,000 units because the simple design can be fabricated out of stainless steel in common machine shops, and the MOF materials are commercially available. The detector of the MOF-SCENT system could be manufactured based on existing portable vector network analyzer (VNA) interrogators (new VNA technology called MN7021A RF Sensor., Keysight Technologies, Santa Rosa, CA). Commercially-available VNAs would be stripped down to increase production output and reduce costs (Keysight Technologies can head up the effort to massproduce the interrogators). Capital costs for the production ramp-up of large numbers of MOF-SCENT systems are minimal because existing machine shops and Keysight Technologies? electronic assembly infrastructure would be used. Installation of the MOFSCENT system at homes, businesses, grocery stores, pharmacies, and medical clinics will significantly increase daily accessibility to on-demand accurate testing and thereby mitigate the second wave of infections of SARS-CoV- 2. Keysight Technologies is the world?s largest test and measurement manufacturer, with a well-established supply chain, superior logistics and technical support infrastructure, and a commitment to quality control.
