Speakers

For over two decades now, printed sensors have been applied commercially in point-of-care diagnostics, particularly in the glucose measurement and diabetes sector. Trends in diagnostic technology continue towards decentralisation and patient self use. Non-invasive technologies remain extremely attractive, but have proved challenging. Breath analysis holds great promise as a means of obtaining non-invasive diagnostic information. There has been some success in diagnostic breath analysis in areas such as FeNO. Unfortunately, a combination of poor technological advancement in trace gas measurement, along with ineffective validation of trace breath gases as markers of disease has severely hampered progress in this area. BreathDX is now commercialising breakthrough sensor technology for the measurement of ammonia in breath. The technology is based on the fabrication of sensors using printed functional nanomaterials which are capable of parts per billion limits of detection, while being mass producible and disposable. These sensors, in combination with the patent-pending AmBeR breath measurement technology have already demonstrated efficacy in chronic liver disease patients. BreathDX is bringing the AmBeR system to market in mid-2016 and will begin to address a number of sectoral opportunities for breath ammonia measurement.

Prof. Tony Killard is Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at BreathDX (UK) Ltd. He also holds the Chair of Biomedical Sciences at the University of the West of England (UWE) and Adjunct Professor of Biomedical Diagnostics at Dublin City University. He received his BA(Mod) Natural Sciences in Microbiology at Trinity College, Dublin in 1993 and his PhD in Biotechnology at Dublin City University (DCU) in 1998. He was Principal Investigator at the Biomedical Diagnostics Institute, DCU in 2005, until his appointment to the Chair of Biomedical Sciences at UWE. He co-founded BreathDX in January 2015 to exploit novel breath diagnostic technologies.

 

Tony has a 20 year record of innovation, research and technological development, particularly in electroactive materials and electrochemical sensors, their development through to technology demonstration and commercial exploitation. He is an inventor on eight patent families and has licensed several sensor and diagnostic technologies. He is the inventor of the AmBeR breath diagnostic technology.

BreathDX (UK) Ltd. is a technology company built to lead the charge in the surging market of breath analysis and diagnosis. Human breath contains a wealth of analytes and thus data to measure health, disease progression and potential threats to future wellbeing. Breath is a non-invasive alternative to blood testing. The key task is to unlock this data by measuring analytes, often at minute concentrations within the heat and moisture of our breath.

 

Ammonia is a very important chemical in breath that is linked with a range of known and likely conditions. Accurately and easily detecting ammonia in breath is essential for doctors making clinical decisions, patients living with conditions or those researching the many processes involving the metabolism of ammonia. Existing ammonia breath diagnostic solutions are typically specific to diseases, complicated, have a high cost and are not suited to point-of-care or high-volume testing.

 

BreathDX's patented and patent-pending AmBeR® device is a flexible-cost, clinically relevant solution, ideal for point-of-care use. AmBeR® will address a broad range of market opportunities in which ammonia measurement and monitoring is required.