Your breath may hold clues about your health, say researchers, and they've developed a “smart mask” to capture them.
Wei Gao, a professor of medical engineering at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, led the team that developed EBCare, a mask that analyzes chemicals in a person's breath to detect whether they have health problems.
According to a Caltech press release, the mask is designed to screen for medical conditions such as respiratory infections, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), asthma and post-COVID infections.
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EBCare cools your breath, converting it into a liquid and sending it to a sensor that analyzes it for specific biomarkers.
Researchers have developed a “smart mask” (pictured left) to detect signs of the disease. (California Institute of Technology/Wei Gao and Wenzheng Heng; iStock)
In an email to Fox News Digital, lead researcher Gao noted that the mask has features that allow for “continuous real-time monitoring of exhaled breath condensate (EBC) in a non-invasive, wearable format.”
“This technology has the potential to revolutionize the way we monitor respiratory health by providing valuable insights into conditions such as asthma, COPD and other metabolic disorders,” Gao said, noting that it could be a path to more personalized medicine.
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“Wide-area surveillance of respiratory infections could also have applications in pandemic management,” he added.
The ultimate goal, Gao noted, is to expand EBCare's technology into the field of respiratory diseases.
“As research progresses, we expect smart masks will be able to be adapted to detect a wider range of biomarkers, including those related to metabolism, cardiovascular and infectious diseases,” he said.
The diagram shows the process by which the smart mask detects chemicals in exhaled breath, such as nitrite, which is an indicator of airway inflammation. (California Institute of Technology/Wei Gao, Wenzheng Heng)
According to Caltech, the study into the mask's performance involved 31 healthy adults who wore the EBCare in a real-life environment for 14 hours, removing the mask in three-minute intervals only when eating.
Ten of the participants were smokers, 10 had asthma, nine had COPD, and 12 had recently recovered from COVID-19.
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The mask accurately detected biomarkers for asthma and COPD in the participants, and was also able to detect signs of kidney disease.
EBCare also produced accurate measurements of blood alcohol concentration.
“Real-time monitoring of alcohol concentration provides a non-invasive and continuous alternative to breathalyzers and blood tests,” Gao said.
“We would need to see at least some clinical studies that show masks can diagnose better, or faster, or more sensitively than standard care.”
The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program and the U.S. Army Medical Research Procurement Activity, was published Aug. 29 in the journal Science.
Gao said the smart masks were not meant to replace traditional medical diagnostics, but rather to provide “early warnings” through continuous health monitoring during daily activities and “bridge the gap” between doctor's visits.
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“The goal is to identify subtle physiological changes before they develop into more serious symptoms, giving individuals the opportunity to be proactive in managing their health,” he said.
This is especially important for people who need regular monitoring, such as those with chronic diseases or those recovering from respiratory infections like COVID-19, Gao said.
The mask (not pictured) is designed to screen for medical conditions such as respiratory infections, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), asthma and post-COVID infections. (iStock)
“We encourage healthcare providers to consider incorporating real-time EBC analysis technology into their diagnostic and monitoring practices, especially for chronic conditions such as asthma and COPD,” he said.
“For individuals, the ability to non-invasively monitor their health through a wearable device provides an opportunity to more actively manage their personal health, potentially leading to earlier intervention and better health outcomes.”
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Mark Alan Derry, DO, MPH, Infectious Disease Physician and Chief Innovation Officer Access Health LouisianaWhile he wasn't involved in the development of the smart mask, he agreed that it was an “exciting concept.”
“Will it work? Absolutely,” he told Fox News Digital.
Wei Gao, a professor of medical engineering at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, led the team that developed the EBCare mask. (California Institute of Technology)
“But we would need to see at least some clinical studies that show masks can diagnose better or faster or more sensitively than standard of care,” he continued.
“That would require studies to demonstrate clinical improvement.”
Potential limitations
Some outside doctors not involved in the mask development questioned whether such data-gathering methods would be useful.
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“While this mask introduces an innovative way to monitor exhaled breath condensate (EBC), an important question needs to be asked: Will this continuous, real-time measurement truly make a difference in daily life?” said Dr. Brett Osborne, a Florida neurosurgeon, in conversation with Fox News Digital.
“For the general public, the biomarkers that this device detects (ammonium, pH, nitrites, alcohol) do not need to be constantly monitored when regular blood tests can provide more accurate and relevant information.”
“For the average person, the biomarkers detected by this device do not need to be constantly monitored when regular blood tests can provide more accurate and relevant information,” the doctor said. (iStock)
Osborne believes the EBCare mask concept could be suitable for “specific, high-risk environments,” such as real-time monitoring of toxic gases in military or industrial sites.
“But for the general public, especially in a post-pandemic world, the idea of wearing a mask like this is counterproductive,” he said.
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Dr. John W. Ayers, vice chair of innovation at the University of California, San Diego's School of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, also questioned the idea of making asthma and COPD patients, who are already experiencing difficulty breathing, wear masks.
“For the average person, especially in a post-pandemic world, the idea of wearing a mask like this is counterproductive.”
Lead researcher Gao responded to some of these comments.
“Routine blood tests are certainly reliable, but they are typically performed on a regular basis and require a clinical setting, limiting their ability to capture dynamic day-to-day physiological changes,” he told Fox News Digital.
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“The true innovation of the EBCare mask lies in its ability to continuously monitor health conditions in real time, providing insights that may not be detectable through intermittent testing.”
According to the researchers, fluctuations in certain biomarkers could be early warning signs for people with chronic diseases such as asthma, COPD and metabolic disorders. (iStock)
According to the researchers, for people with chronic diseases such as asthma, COPD and metabolic disorders, fluctuations in certain biomarkers could provide early warning signs before symptoms worsen, allowing for timely intervention.
However, Gao acknowledged that the EBCare device has some limitations.
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“One limitation was the relatively small sample sizes in some of the clinical trials, particularly for diseases such as COPD and asthma,” he told Fox News Digital.
“Future studies with larger and more diverse populations will help further validate the device's performance in a wider range of conditions and environments.”
