This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I research project will determine the performance and operating specifications for a low-cost optical CO2 isotope ratiometer for medical applications. The carbon isotope ratio in breath CO2 allows non-invasive diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring of multiple pathologies. Although CO2 breath tests are generally accepted in the medical community, their widespread application is hampered by the availability of portable, cost-effective, highly accurate and reliable sensors. The proposed simple, compact optical-based instrument will allow extension of quantitative CO2 breath tests not only at medical centers but also to doctors' offices and in patients' homes. This new soda-can-sized sensor will allow determination of the carbon isotope ratio in untreated breath with sub-per-mil precision in a few seconds.
This research project will have a broad impact on society by enabling widespread distribution of breath analysis as a medical diagnostic and monitoring tool. This noninvasive, patient friendly and broadly applicable medical method will improve the quality of patient care in hospitals, doctor's offices and at home. In addition to biomedical applications the basic sensor technology can be extended to carbon dioxide isotope measurements in air samples. These isotope ratiometers have importance in geo-chemical, environmental, and ecological studies where variations in natural abundance are studied.
