A grant of over 1.2 million euros will be made available for the development of the Aenose. This intelligent electronic nose can detect the stomach bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) in exhaled air. In the worst case, this bacterium can lead to stomach cancer.
H. pylori is a bacterium that settles in the stomach and can cause serious problems here. For instance, the bacteria attacks the stomach wall, which can lead to stomach ulcers. In the worst cases, however, the bacteria can also lead to stomach cancer. The bacteria can be controlled quickly and effectively with antibiotics.
Bacteria detection
To make this treatment possible, however, the presence of the bacteria in the stomach must first be determined. Methods for this have been available for some time, including by examining blood or stool samples. The Aenose makes this process more accurate, faster and less invasive. The Aenose is an electronic nose developed by the Zutphen-based company eNose.
The Aenose uses artificial intelligence to detect indicators in exhaled air that indicate the presence of H. pylori. Patients who carry this bacterium have a different breathing profile than patients who do not carry the bacterium. André Elands, managing director of eNose, explains: "Continuing the development of this product requires a large number of patients, as well as a neural network that can process large amounts of data. This leads to an algorithm that indicates whether a person has this bacteria in their stomach. It is a self-learning system; it gets smarter and better with more data and intensive use. We currently have about 30,000 breath profiles for different abnormalities available. Specifically for the analysis of H. pylori, we already have more than 500 profiles. To ensure a reliable clinical test, we are analysing the breath profiles of 2,000 people in this project."
'Exhaled air shows state of body'
Professor Peter Siersema, a gastroenterologist at Radboud UMC, points out the difference with existing breath tests. "There are breath tests where people ingest urea. H. pylori loves urea and immediately 'eats' it. The characteristic waste from that bacterial meal can then be measured in the exhaled air. However, this is a laboratory approach, involving radioactive materials," Siersema mentions as an example.
Another approach looks at the presence of antibodies in the blood. However, this approach also has drawbacks "Immediately after infection, there are no antibodies present in the blood yet. These can be detected later, but you obviously want to determine as soon as possible whether the bacteria are present. This is therefore not an ideal test," says Siersema. The same applies to detecting H. pylori in stools, according to the professor. "This is a very laborious method, looking for genetic material of the bacteria. This approach also has drawbacks."
Exhaled air is much better for detecting the bacteria, according to Siersema. "Gas always escapes the stomach, for example when you burp. All kinds of blood gases are released into the lungs. These gases are picked up by the blood in the body and released into the lungs. Exhaled air can therefore show the state of our body."
Grant
A consortium involved in the development of the Aenose has been awarded a grant of over 1.2 million euros from the European grant programme OP Oost. Besides eNose, this consortium also involves the companies Auxzenze, Next Generation Technology and Medlon. In addition, Radboud UMC, Isala Hospital and Bernhoven Hospital participate in the consortium.
The funding will be used to continue the development and clinical application of the Aenose. Using the money raised, the consortium aims to bring the product to market.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
Source: Radboud UMC
