Breath-based point-of-care test to diagnose and monitor acute respiratory distress syndrome
Official title: Point-of-care micro-gas chromatography device for diagnosis and monitoring of acute respiratory distress syndrome using exhaled breath signatures
Funded at University of Michigan at Ann Arbor · NIH-11263626 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A small bedside breath analyzer will look for chemical patterns in exhaled air to detect and track ARDS in adults.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Michigan at Ann Arbor NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Ann Arbor, United States) |
| Project start | January 1, 2024 |
| Project end | December 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,027,489 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL171517-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11263626 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults (21+) hospitalized with suspected or confirmed ARDS or acute hypoxic respiratory failure who can provide breath samples or have breath collected at the bedside are the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
Children under 21, people whose conditions prevent safe breath sampling, or patients with diagnoses unrelated to lung inflammation may not benefit from this work.
What this research studies
You would breathe (or have breath collected) into a portable micro-gas chromatography device at the bedside so the team can capture volatile molecules from your lungs over time. The device collects serial breath samples and measures hundreds of volatile organic and inorganic compounds, and the team will compare those breath patterns to clinical diagnoses and disease course. Machine-learning algorithms will be used to find signatures that distinguish ARDS from other causes of acute respiratory failure and to follow changes as the illness progresses. The project builds on early pilot data and aims to validate the device in a larger group of adult hospital patients.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could provide a fast, non-invasive way to detect ARDS earlier and monitor how the illness is changing to help guide treatment.
How similar studies have gone: Early pilot work with a prototype device found promising breath patterns that separated ARDS from other acute respiratory failure causes, but larger validation is still needed.
Where this research is happening
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University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Fan, Xudong — University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
- Study coordinator: Fan, Xudong
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Resilience endotypes and early ARDS detection using biomarkers and AI
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Dead space and inhaled nitric oxide in pediatric ARDS
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Immune, hormone, and muscle energy links to recovery after ARDS
This project looks at why some ARDS survivors have ongoing weakness and how immune, hormone, and muscle energy factors might influence recovery.</n>
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Understanding why some people with severe lung injury get worse and how to tailor therapy
A patient-focused program that looks at why people develop sepsis-associated ARDS and how their bodies respond, with the goal of guiding better, personalized treatments.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.